Lee Jae-myung: "My son is a delinquent, my wife slapped a teacher? ... Clear fake news"

"Certain minority media outlets often report knowing the facts are not true"

Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party presidential candidate, is quenching his thirst during a meeting with the American Chamber of Commerce in Korea (AMCHAM) held at the Conrad Hotel in Yeouido, Seoul, on the afternoon of the 2nd.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Soyoung] Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the Democratic Party of Korea, addressed rumors about his family, stating, "There is a false rumor that my son is a delinquent and that my wife went to the school and slapped a teacher. This is clearly fake news."

On the 2nd, Lee attended a debate hosted by the Korea Broadcasting Journalists Club at the Korea Broadcasting Hall in Mokdong, Yangcheon-gu, Seoul, where he responded to a question asking if he thought the media environment was a tilted playing field.

He said, "It is difficult to say that the tilted media environment is a problem limited to me," and pointed out, "Some specific minority media outlets often report unverified information or knowingly report falsehoods."

He continued, "There are many suspicions about me. Even today, there are rumors that my son is a delinquent and that my wife went to the school and slapped a teacher. Such rumors circulate and then are reported after being investigated."

He added, "Rumors circulate and then become reports, and even if I deny them, reports are made without any basis. This causes serious damage to democratic decision-making, so I am pointing this out. In that regard, I am calling for accountability, but I do not take issue with the general freedom of the press or expressions of criticism."

Earlier, 'Open Sympathy TV' announced on social media on the afternoon of the 1st, "A strange tip was recently received regarding the candidate's wife, Kim Hye-kyung," and added, "This content is planned to be extensively reported by a well-known far-right media outlet and is currently being prepared."

The outlet reported, "The candidate's child was reportedly a so-called delinquent while attending a certain middle school, causing trouble at school, and Kim Hye-kyung visited the school and, during a consultation with a teacher, allegedly slapped the teacher out of anger. This tip is planned to be widely reported."

However, "Upon investigation, the allegation was found to be false and fake," and "In fact, the candidate's child never attended that middle school," the outlet stated.

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