Democratic Party: "President Yoon Reported to Prosecutors for False Statements Aimed at Election Victory"

"Claims that Kim Geon-hee's remarks on stock investment constitute false information for election purposes"
Investigation possible only after 5 years as a political symbol

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] The Democratic Party of Korea filed a complaint with the prosecution on the 5th against President Yoon Seok-yeol for allegedly spreading false information during the presidential election period. Since President Yoon is the incumbent president, this carries the meaning of a 'political symbol.'

Park Seong-jun, spokesperson for the Democratic Party, stated in a briefing held after the Democratic Party's Supreme Council meeting at the National Assembly on the same day, "We have decided to submit a complaint to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office at 1 p.m. against President Yoon for violating the Public Official Election Act and spreading false information." Initially, Park had indicated that the complaint would be filed with the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials, but later corrected it to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office.

Park explained, "There was a question regarding allegations of stock price manipulation related to the president's wife during his candidacy, which he denied. However, it has now become clear that the stock price manipulation is a fact, and the candidate's statement at the time constitutes the dissemination of false information."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Kim Seung-won, a member of the Democratic Party and chair of the legal committee, said, "The exact charge is the dissemination of false information for the purpose of election victory," adding, "It is a serious crime with a minimum fine of 5 million won, which could lead to disqualification from office." Kim stated, "During his candidacy, President Yoon's wife, Kim Geon-hee, entrusted all transactions related to stock price manipulation to a certain Mr. Lee, a former employee of a foreign securities company, and only suffered losses over four months. On May 20, she severed ties with Mr. Lee and ended the matter, making a clear claim about the facts." He continued, "However, during the co-conspirator's trial, recordings of Kim Geon-hee confirmed that on the first day of the stock price manipulation, she directly instructed to buy stocks and there is evidence that she received reports from a securities company employee in the middle of the process."

However, this complaint holds political symbolic significance. Park said, "The statute of limitations for the president is suspended, so even if a complaint is filed, investigation can only begin after five years," but added, "We are also considering filing complaints against related parties." Kim said, "According to Supreme Court precedents, the statute of limitations resumes after the president leaves office, so punishment can be imposed at any time. We submitted the complaint before the statute of limitations for the election law expires on the 9th."

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