Prosecutors summon Song Pyeong-su, former spokesperson of Lee Jae-myung's presidential campaign, over 'false election report' allegations

The prosecution investigating allegations of false reporting in the presidential election summoned and questioned Song Pyung-soo, a former spokesperson who was active in the election campaign committee of Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the Democratic Party of Korea.

Seoul Seocho-gu Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office. / Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

The Special Investigation Team for the ‘Presidential Election Interference and Public Opinion Manipulation Case’ at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office (led by Kang Baek-shin, Head of the Anti-Corruption Investigation Division 1) is investigating Song as a suspect on the 21st.

The prosecution is reportedly focusing on questioning Song about whether he was involved in the reporting process, including contacting reporter Heo Jae-hyun of the online media outlet Report Act.

Song is suspected of conspiring with Choi, a secretary to Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Byung-wook, and Kim, a policy research committee member of the National Assembly, to be involved in reporter Heo’s publication of the so-called ‘fake Choi Jae-kyung recording.’

The prosecution previously summoned former Central Investigation Department Chief Choi Jae-kyung as a witness last month and Choi, the secretary to lawmaker Kim Byung-wook, as a suspect on the 16th of this month for questioning.

Report Act reported on March 1, 2022, that it had obtained a recording of former Central Investigation Department Chief Choi and Lee, the cousin of Jo Woo-hyung, a broker involved in the Daejang-dong case, claiming that then-Head of the Central Investigation Division 2 during the 2011 Busan Savings Bank investigation, President Yoon Seok-youl, was aware of Jo’s criminal activities.

Based on the recording, Report Act reported that Lee said to former Chief Choi, "Before Kim Yang, the vice chairman of Busan Savings Bank, was arrested, Jo Woo-hyung was his errand runner. Honestly," to which former Chief Choi responded, "Yoon Seok-youl said that," affirming the statement.

However, the prosecution judged that Report Act’s report constituted false information. It was determined that the conversation took place not between Lee and former Chief Choi, but between Lee and Choi (the secretary).

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