Lee Jae-myung Suspends Position of Official Involved in ‘Lee Nak-yeon Defamation’ and Conducts Audit

[Asia Economy Reporter Koo Chae-eun] Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party's presidential candidate and Governor of Gyeonggi Province, announced on the 18th that he has suspended from duty and is investigating a member of a Gyeonggi Province-related organization who is suspected of defaming his intra-party rival, former Democratic Party leader Lee Nak-yeon.

During an online press briefing that day, Lee said, "There was a claim that (former leader Lee) was defamed, so I checked, and it turns out that the person who made the defamatory remarks is a member of an organization related to Gyeonggi Province, but not directly under Gyeonggi Province." He added, "Although this person is not a public official, it is appropriate to take responsibility by suspending them from duty and investigating, as someone who should exercise restraint interfered in the election and caused controversy."

Lee stated, "It is not a violation of the Public Official Election Act, but it goes against internal guidelines," and added, "There could be issues with political neutrality, so I am exercising my command authority to conduct an audit."

Earlier, allegations arose that defamatory posts against former leader Lee were made in a group SNS chatroom created by executives of public-related organizations in Gyeonggi Province. Lee Nak-yeon's side protested, suggesting the possibility of organized public opinion manipulation at the Gyeonggi Province level. They also requested the party's election management committee to investigate the truth. Lee Jae-myung's side dismissed the possibility of organized manipulation claimed by former leader Lee. At the time, Lee's side said, "We were unaware of the existence of the chatroom in question," and "We have no suspects."

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