Presidential Office Files Complaint Against Kim Eui-gyeom... "Welcoming the Complaint with Mockery, Difficult to Overlook" (Update)

Complaint Scheduled to Be Filed at Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency on the Afternoon of the 30th

[Asia Economy Reporter Baek Kyunghwan] The Presidential Office has decided to file a complaint against Kim Eui-gyeom, the spokesperson of the Democratic Party of Korea, who raised allegations of stock manipulation involving First Lady Kim Keon-hee.

On the 30th, the Presidential Office announced through a press release, "We have decided to file a complaint against Spokesperson Kim for violating the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection (defamation)." The Presidential Office plans to submit the complaint to the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency around 3 p.m. that day.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the same day, the Presidential Office stated, "There is no evidence whatsoever that the stock 'Woori Technology,' which Spokesperson Kim claimed to be a 'manipulated stock,' is involved in such activities." They added, "It has never been reported to or investigated by the Financial Supervisory Service, nor is it currently on trial. In fact, a witness in the trial denied the fact of 'stock price management'." They further argued, "Repeating the definitive 'fake news' that 'the president's spouse has been exposed to stock manipulation charges' without any minimum factual basis regarding who, when, by what method stock manipulation was conducted, and how it was involved, is malicious and rather infringes on the public's right to know."

In particular, they stated, "The fact that the president's spouse 'simply traded certain stocks' 13 years ago cannot be groundlessly transformed into 'stock manipulation'." They continued, "The only basis is that a reporter from a certain company saw 'stock sale details' while attending a third party's trial in November last year, but even the article reported that the stock purchase period, quantity, and transaction details were completely unknown." They pointed out, "Raising any suspicion and then demanding the victim to prove that it was not stock manipulation is something that cannot happen in a 'rule of law country.'"

The Presidential Office added, "Repeatedly spreading false information and mocking by saying 'complaint welcome' is considered secondary harm and cannot be overlooked." They also noted, "Considering that the fake news about the Cheongdam-dong drinking party has already been reported elsewhere and is under investigation, it was not included in this complaint."