Park Kwang-on "Allegations of SNS Defamation by Lee Jae-myung's Side Require Party-Level Investigation and Appropriate Measures"

[Asia Economy Reporter Oh Ju-yeon] Park Kwang-on, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea and the general director of former party leader Lee Nak-yeon's presidential campaign, emphasized that "there should be a party-level investigation and appropriate measures" regarding allegations of social network service (SNS) negativity by Jin, the office manager of the Gyeonggi-do Transportation Training Institute. He also demanded that Governor Lee respond to whether the slander against the former leader was Jin's sole act or involved organizational intervention.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the 19th, Park appeared on YTN Radio's "Hwang Bo-seon's Start Morning" and pointed out, "This is actually a form of public opinion manipulation, the most dangerous crime that destroys democracy," adding, "This is not an issue that can simply be covered up and passed over."

Park strongly criticized Governor Lee, saying, "This is an act that far exceeds the issue of who becomes a candidate or not; it seriously threatens the health and democracy of our society."

Regarding Governor Lee's suspension of the employee the previous day, Park said, "It is difficult to draw a line and move on with just a personnel action," and added, "At the very least, Governor Lee should clarify a few things."

He stated, "I would like to ask Governor Lee questions such as: When did he become aware of Jin's public opinion manipulation crime? Are there others like Jin working in Gyeonggi-do's affiliated or related organizations? Is there an intention to conduct a full investigation of the SNS accounts of employees, including executives of affiliated organizations? Also, is there a willingness to boldly and transparently report Jin to investigative authorities and cooperate in uncovering the truth?"

Park explained about Jin, "He was the office manager of the Transportation Training Institute but was suspended as of yesterday. However, this person worked as an employee of Seongnam FC, a soccer team under Seongnam City, and reportedly participated in the 2018 Gyeonggi-do gubernatorial election campaign." He continued, "After that, I understand that Governor Lee appointed him as the office manager of the Transportation Training Institute. Looking at this, one can infer that there is a close relationship with Governor Lee."

Park said, "I understand that the Central Election Commission, a national agency, has begun an investigation. Therefore, I expect a thorough investigation and that measures will be taken according to law and principles," emphasizing, "This issue is a very serious illegal act that threatens democracy, so the current leadership should not try to pass over this matter lightly. A party-level investigation must be conducted, and appropriate measures must be taken."

He added, "Regarding the issue of reporting Jin to investigative authorities, we will review it while monitoring the progress."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.