With the June 3 local elections one week away, Korea entered the legally mandated “poll blackout” period on May 28, banning the release of new opinion surveys ahead of two days of early voting beginning May 29. The election, held one year after the launch of the Lee Jae Myung administration, also includes 14 parliamentary by-elections. Concerns are growing that the absence of officially published polling data could allow unverified claims and fake news to spread more rapidly through social media and online communities. [PARK YONG-SEOK]