Kang Ki-yoon Campaign Refutes 'Targeted Reports on Kang Ki-yoon' ... Some Claims Are Outright Falsehoods

Malicious Misinformation Without Even Verifying the Prearranged Schedule

Concerns Over Attempted Election Interference

The election campaign committee for Kang Ki-yoon, the People Power Party candidate for Changwon mayor (hereinafter referred to as the campaign committee), strongly refuted the allegations reported by KBS on April 22 regarding Kang's tenure as CEO of Korea South-East Power, stating that the report was “an outright falsehood that failed to verify even basic facts, as well as a malicious targeted report intended to influence the election.”

Kang Ki-yoon. [Photo by Kang Ki-yoon campaign headquarters]

The informant featured in the KBS report claimed, “I boarded the bus thinking we were going to volunteer for the Sancheong wildfire, but instead we headed to the Korea South-East Power headquarters, which had not been part of the plan.” However, according to the volunteer recruitment notice released by the campaign committee, it was clearly shown that this claim was not true.

The recruitment notice at the time detailed the schedule as follows: ▲07:30 Departure from Changwon Mannam Square ▲09:00 Arrival at Munsan Korea South-East Power ▲11:00–13:00 Volunteering and lunch at the Sancheong wildfire site ▲14:00 Tour of Samcheonpo Power Branch ▲15:00 Team building time, with each time slot and itinerary described in detail.

Kang’s campaign committee criticized KBS, stating, “Even though the visit to Korea South-East Power was announced from the recruitment stage, KBS aired unfiltered false statements by a certain participant who said, ‘I just followed along without knowing the details,’ thereby distorting the facts and making it appear as if Kang had abused his authority to forcibly mobilize the volunteer group.”

KBS also reported that during a meeting in the CEO's office, the topic of running for mayor was openly discussed, leaving participants feeling uncomfortable. However, the campaign committee directly refuted this account, citing testimonies from several people who were present at the scene at the time.

According to the campaign committee, only customary greetings and routine conversations took place in the CEO’s office during the visit, and there were absolutely no specific mentions of running for mayor or appeals for support.

The campaign committee pointed out, “KBS aired a report that could mislead the public into perceiving a normal institutional visit as premature electioneering, based solely on unilateral claims from a few individuals, which is a breach of impartiality expected from a public broadcaster.”

Kang Ki-yoon’s campaign committee believes that the timing of this KBS report, so close to the election, suggests a clear intent to inflict critical damage on the candidate, and is therefore mobilizing all possible legal avenues in response.

The campaign committee has already filed, or is in the process of filing, complaints with each of the following: ▲the Press Arbitration Commission Election Article Review Committee ▲the Election Broadcasting Review Committee ▲the Central Election Commission Internet Election Reporting Review Committee.

Kang stated, “For the media, which should always be fair, to cloud voters’ judgment with unverified false information is an act that undermines the very foundation of democracy. I will see this through to the end to restore my tarnished reputation and focus solely on a policy-based campaign that serves only the citizens of Changwon.”

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