South Korea raises terror alert ahead of June 3 local elections

South Korea on Wednesday raised its national terror alert level ahead of next month's local elections, as authorities moved to tighten security and prevent potential threats targeting candidates and campaign events, according to local media reports.

The government said the nationwide alert level will be raised from "attention" to "caution," the second-lowest level on the country's four-tier terror warning system, from Thursday through June 4, Yonhap News reported.

The Office for Government Policy Coordination said the measure is aimed at strengthening counterterrorism efforts and ensuring the safe conduct of the June 3 local elections, which will select provincial governors, mayors and local councilors nationwide.

Prime Minister Kim Min-seok also vowed a crackdown on election-related crimes, including disinformation, vote-buying and interference by public officials.

"We will deal sternly and swiftly with three major election crimes," Kim said during a government meeting on election fairness. He also warned about the growing threat posed by AI-generated deepfake content during campaigns.

Official campaigning for the elections and parliamentary by-elections is set to begin Thursday and continue for 13 days, according to the National Election Commission.

More than 7,800 candidates have registered for thousands of positions nationwide, while 14 parliamentary seats are also being contested in by-elections drawing national attention.

A total of 513 candidates have already been elected unopposed after running without challengers in their constituencies.

One of the most closely watched races is in Busan's Buk-A constituency, where former ruling party leader Han Dong-hoon is running as an independent candidate against rivals from both liberal and conservative camps.

The elections are widely viewed as the first major nationwide political test for President Lee Jae Myung since he took office in June 2025 following a snap presidential election triggered by the impeachment of former president Yoon Suk Yeol over his failed martial law declaration.