[Issue] Despite Criminal Record for Spreading Fake News... Local Council Candidacy Sparks 'Ethical Controversy'

Orchestrated and Disseminated False Reports Framing Junior Entrepreneur as Tax Evader, Received Summary Indictment
Controversy Over Registration as Preliminary Candidate for Nam-gu, Gwangju Council
Active as Executive in Local Sports Organization
Democratic Party Gwangju Branch Explains, "Internal Rules Do Not Prohibit Registration"
Ki Woosik Points Out, "Issue of Trust in Democratic Party's Nomination System"

Controversy is growing as a senior member of the Democratic Party of Korea, who previously received a summary indictment and a fine for orchestrating and disseminating false and fabricated news articles to frame a junior entrepreneur as a "tax evader," recently registered as a preliminary candidate for a basic council member position in Nam-gu, Gwangju, on the premise of receiving party nomination.

This situation has sparked criticism that the party's internal candidate vetting system may have significant loopholes, especially as President Lee Jaemyung has recently issued strong condemnations against the spread of "fake and false news."

According to whistleblowers and the Democratic Party's Gwangju City branch on March 19, the Gwangju District Prosecutors' Office made a summary indictment decision on January 6 against Mr. A, a man in his 50s who had served as vice chairman of the Gwangju City branch, for defamation under the Information and Communication Network Act, imposing a fine of 3 million won.

Mr. A was accused of drafting a fake news article in May of last year that falsely claimed a junior entrepreneur had committed tax evasion, passing it on to a reporter at an online media outlet, and ensuring it was actually published. It was later discovered that he directly distributed the article on social media platforms, including to acquaintances of the victim.

The main issue is that, despite being found guilty and fined for such criminal conduct, Mr. A was still able to register as a preliminary candidate for a local council seat in Nam-gu, Gwangju, without any restrictions. It is reported that his political connections, built through his roles in local sports organizations, played a significant part in this.

Some local political figures and civil society organizations have raised concerns, stating, "Is it reasonable for someone who deliberately abused the media to disseminate false information to run as a candidate for a basic council seat, representing citizens?"

The Democratic Party has long promoted the eradication of false and fake news as a key policy stance, in the past emphasizing the political harm caused by the spread of misinformation and expressing a commitment to taking a strong response.

President Lee Jaemyung’s recent remarks, "Irresponsible media that uncritically repeat baseless false claims are more dangerous than a weapon," were made in the same context.

Nevertheless, there is criticism that, in reality, the local party organization is effectively allowing individuals with a history of creating and disseminating false news to compete for party nominations without intervention.

According to the Democratic Party’s party regulations, those convicted of bribery, abuse of power, or the five major violent crimes are barred from nomination. However, the Gwangju City branch explained that Mr. A’s offense does not fall under these categories, and therefore his registration as a preliminary candidate does not violate the rules.

This effectively admits a structural limitation: the party’s system fails to filter out individuals with ethical controversies simply because their offenses are not formally disqualifying under current regulations.

Ki Woosik, Secretary General of the Gwangju Citizens’ Organization Council, stated, "The act of fabricating falsehoods to defame another person is not a simple mistake, but an issue directly linked to public responsibility," adding, "It is questionable whether voters can accept someone with such a record as their representative."

He further commented, "Rather than relying solely on specific criteria, political parties should at least apply minimum moral and ethical standards to screen their candidates. Otherwise, public trust in the nomination system itself will inevitably collapse. We plan to review the Democratic Party’s nomination system as a whole, including this particular issue."

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