"Appropriate Measures Will Be Taken Against Lee Jae-myung"... Kwak Sang-do Announces Intent to Sue for False Accusation

Lee Jae-myung Camp Files Complaint Against Kwak Sang-do for Spreading False Information and More

Independent lawmaker Gwak Sang-do. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] On the 27th, independent lawmaker Kwak Sang-do, who left the People Power Party amid controversy over his son's "5 billion won retirement pay from Hwacheon Daeyu," announced legal action against Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party presidential candidate and Gyeonggi Province governor, who filed a complaint against him.

On the same day, Rep. Kwak posted on his Facebook a post titled "It has been clearly revealed that the owner of the Daejang-dong development project is candidate Lee Jae-myung."

He said, "Lee Jae-myung's campaign reportedly filed a complaint against me for violating the Public Official Election Act and the Information and Communications Network Act by spreading false information. The complaint claims that my expression of 'the undisputed owner of the Daejang-dong development project' is false information."

He continued, "On the 17th, I posted on SNS that 'Governor Lee, who took the largest amount of money, 500 billion won, from the profits of the development project and designed the profit distribution structure, is the undisputed owner of the Daejang-dong development project,' and that 'Governor Lee is involved in permits, project supervision, and profit recovery.'

Rep. Kwak emphasized, "I presented the basis for considering him the 'owner,' but it seems that the complaint does not claim that the basis itself is false information. If the basis is true, whether to regard him as the 'owner' is for the readers of the post to decide."

He also repeatedly asked Governor Lee, "Is it true that he took the largest amount of money, 500 billion won, from the profits of the development project? Is it true that candidate Lee designed the profit distribution structure of the Daejang-dong development project? Is it true that he was involved in permits, project supervision, and profit recovery?"

Furthermore, he stated, "This complaint by candidate Lee seems to constitute a false accusation," and "I will take appropriate measures going forward."

Lee Jae-myung, Democratic Party of Korea presidential primary candidate. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Earlier, officials from Governor Lee's campaign submitted a complaint against Rep. Kwak to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office in Seocho-dong, Seoul, in the morning. The complaint included charges of spreading false information under the Public Official Election Act and defamation under the Information and Communications Network Act.

Campaign officials claimed in the complaint, "Rep. Kwak posted on his SNS that candidate Lee illegally conducted the Daejang-dong development project and obtained unfair profits," and "Since these facts are untrue, it constitutes spreading false information."

Meanwhile, on the 17th, Rep. Kwak stated on his Facebook, "I have no connection with the Daejang-dong development project. Governor Lee, who took the largest amount of money, 500 billion won, from the profits of the development project and designed the profit distribution structure, is the undisputed owner of the Daejang-dong development project."