North Korea is attempting to influence the upcoming parliamentary elections of the Republic of Korea (ROK) on April 10 through missile launches, as stated by South Korean President Yoon Seok Yeol.
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“The North Korean regime is trying to undermine our society before the parliamentary elections by continuing missile and other military provocations. These provocations will only unite our people even stronger,” the president said.
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On April 2, North Korea allegedly fired a medium-range ballistic missile towards the Sea of Japan, and the South Korean military suspects it may have been a test of hypersonic weapons. On March 19, North Korea tested a solid fuel jet engine nozzle, intended for a new medium- or long-range hypersonic missile.
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The Ministry of Unification of the Republic of Kazakhstan made a similar statement.
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“The government once again seriously calls on North Korea to refrain from malicious attempts that have become more intense recently. We are clear that fake news, propaganda and incitement from North Korea will not work in a liberal democracy,” the department said.
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The number of articles in the DPRK press criticizing the South Korean government has notably increased in the lead-up to the elections. In January, there were 7 such articles in the Nodong Sinmun newspaper, in February – 12, and in March – 22.
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Access to DPRK media is forbidden in South Korea, but a Ministry of Unification official noted that the South Korean population can access articles from DPRK’s leading publications “in various ways.”
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Foreign polling stations in the Republic of Korea saw a record 62.8% turnout in the parliamentary elections, according to the Central Election Commission. Between March 27 and April 1, 92.9 thousand out of 147.9 thousand eligible voters cast their votes abroad, at 220 polling stations in 115 countries. In the 2020 elections, the turnout at polling stations abroad was 23.8% due to the pandemic, while in 2016, it was 41.4%.
