President Lee: "Korea Newspaper Award for Daejang-dong Coverage Should Be Revoked, Returned, and Apologies and Corrections Made"

On April 24, President Lee Jae-myung referred to the Daejang-dong report, which previously won the Korean Newspaper Award, and pointed out, "Isn’t it only right to cancel and return the award, and to apologize and correct the report, even at this point?"

On this day, President Lee shared an article on his X account (formerly Twitter), which stated that in 2023, The Dong-A Ilbo received the Korean Newspaper Award for its coverage of the "Daejang-dong scandal and allegations of illegal election funds," and made the above remarks.

President Lee Jae-myung, currently on a state visit to Vietnam, is delivering a greeting at a Korean community meeting held at a hotel in Hanoi on the 22nd (local time). 2026.4.22 Yonhap News Agency

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President Lee criticized, "The selection committee for the Korean Newspaper Award reportedly stated that the reason for the award was the continuous uncovering of powerful facts in the coverage of the Daejang-dong issue," and added, "In reality, it was not fact-finding, but a tremendous fabrication."

President Lee continued, "By inventing and reporting on 'that person Lee Jae-myung,' who did not even appear in the Daejang-dong transcripts, they caused the Democratic Party’s presidential candidate to lose the last presidential election and changed the course of South Korean history." He further pointed out, "As a result, the country regressed, the people suffered tremendous pain, and the consequences are still ongoing."

He emphasized, "This is because history must never again be altered by election manipulation carried out by those in power and the media."

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