Chairman Kim In-ho of Seoul Metropolitan Council Files Complaints Against Civic Groups and Media for Spreading False Information

Chairman Kim Completes Legal Action Against Civic Groups and Media for Spreading False Information... "Will Take the Strongest Civil and Criminal Measures Within the Law" Announced

[Asia Economy Reporter Jong-il Park] Kim In-ho, Chairman of the Seoul Metropolitan Council, stated on the 28th that the allegations of sexual bribery reported by some media on the 27th are completely false. He announced that he has completed filing complaints against the 'Committee for the Protection of Ordinary People's Livelihoods,' which made false accusations during the sensitive period just days before the local elections, and the 'New Daily,' which reported the false accusations despite knowing they were untrue. He vowed to hold them fully accountable under the law with the strongest possible civil and criminal liability.

Chairman Kim explained that the 'Committee for the Protection of Ordinary People's Livelihoods' is a civic group that operated under the name 'Committee for the Protection of Ordinary People's Livelihoods of the National Communication Headquarters of Park Geun-hye's Presidential Campaign' during the 2012 presidential election. Recently, the group has filed complaints with the police against 13 Seoul district mayoral candidates affiliated with the Democratic Party of Korea, and last month, it filed complaints against all Democratic Party lawmakers for abuse of power. The group is known for continuously filing various lawsuits and complaints against numerous celebrities, including presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung and former Minister Yoo Si-min.

In particular, in July 2020, after Kim In-ho was elected as the chairman of the second half of the Seoul Metropolitan Council, the committee challenged the customary election method of the chairman, filing complaints with the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office against not only Chairman Kim but also senior officials of the Seoul Metropolitan Council at the time for violations of the Public Official Election Act. However, these complaints were dismissed.

Chairman Kim stated, “Considering that May and June 2020, the periods mentioned in the media as the time of the alleged sexual bribery, were when COVID-19 was spreading nationwide, and gathering bans on entertainment establishments were enforced with strict crackdowns on violators, it is unbelievable that entertainment was provided to groups of 30 to 40 people as alleged in the complaints and media reports.” He added, “In particular, I have no knowledge whatsoever of the location of the entertainment establishment in Dongdaemun-gu mentioned in the article.”

Chairman Kim pointed out that filing complaints on matters that are not based on facts and have not been verified, especially during the period before local elections, is suspicious in itself. He emphasized that he will ensure the truth is revealed regarding the media reports and will use various civil and criminal measures as an opportunity to eradicate civic groups that recklessly file lawsuits and complaints based on false information.

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