Minjeon Kim Repeatedly Raises "Election Fraud" in Group Chat of 107 Lawmakers... Others Urge Restraint

Minjeon Kim, a lawmaker from the People Power Party, reportedly continued to raise allegations of election fraud in a group chat with fellow party lawmakers but was stopped. Previously, Kim had established an ultra-right youth group in the National Assembly that claimed to be a Baekgoldan, but canceled a press conference belatedly after facing severe criticism. On January 22, SBS reported that Minjeon Kim had repeatedly shared content and reports related to election fraud claims in a Telegram group chat that included 107 out of 108 People Power Party lawmakers. During this process, heated debates reportedly took place among the ruling party lawmakers.

People Power Party lawmaker Minjeon Kim reportedly continued to raise allegations of election fraud in his party's group chat but was stopped. Earlier, lawmaker Kim had established an ultra-right youth group claiming to be a Baekgoldan in the National Assembly, but canceled the press conference belatedly after severe criticism. Photo by Hyunmin Kim

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According to SBS, Kim continued to raise election fraud allegations by pointing to a specific constituency. When a lawmaker from the Yeongnam region asked, "In what way do you claim that early voting fraud was committed?" Kim responded with claims such as, "A significant number of abnormal ballots appeared in the 2020 general election." Kim further stated, "There are quite a few dead bodies," and added, "It is up to the prosecution to investigate who committed murder or whether these were truly natural deaths. I don't think it is our place to answer that." Kim also said, "There are ongoing allegations regarding Company A, which has consistently been raised as an issue in some quarters. It is claimed that Company A has a monopoly on supplying software and other services to the National Election Commission and that it has close ties to China. It would be good if we could verify this through a parliamentary investigation."

As Kim continued to raise election fraud allegations by singling out a specific constituency, some lawmakers eventually intervened. One lawmaker commented in the group chat, "I want to respect lawmaker Kim's personal conviction and belief regarding election fraud," but added, "However, I don't think lawmaker Kim believes that all the lawmakers in this group completely agree or share the same level of suspicion." The lawmaker continued, "I kindly ask that you refrain from filling the chat window with messages all day. I hope that our diverse communication does not accumulate as fatigue among members."

When a senior lawmaker said, "I hope that further discussion about election fraud will not continue in the lawmakers' group chat," several lawmakers expressed their agreement. Another lawmaker also questioned the credibility of the news articles about election fraud that Kim had shared, emphasizing, "In the future, I hope you will at least check the basic facts before posting such content in the group chat for all lawmakers."

However, the debate continued when a second-term lawmaker from the Yeongnam region argued, "While it may not be possible to definitively conclude that election fraud occurred, it appears that there were irregularities in election management, including the voting and counting process, that defy common sense." Ultimately, Kim reportedly told the lawmakers, "I will no longer raise issues regarding the stability of the voting and counting process in the group chat."

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