Candidate Kim Won vows strong response to false information and defamation campaigns

Former Aide Case Prosecutor Investigation No Charges... Second Harassment Allegations Investigated by Party Ethics Inspection Team No Charges

Party Membership Application Case Cleared of Official Secrets Leakage and Public Official Election Law Vio

Kim Won-i, the Democratic Party of Korea's preliminary candidate for Mokpo City National Assembly member, has drawn attention by stating that he will "strongly respond by holding all legal responsibilities, both civil and criminal, for the spread of false information and slander surrounding him."

On the 29th, candidate Kim Won-i posted on his Facebook, "Ahead of the general election, false information, fake news, and slander are disturbing Mokpo," and clarified, "Claims such as 'Kim Won-i is subject to a lower cut-off,' 'Kim Won-i committed secondary harm to a sexual assault victim,' and 'Kim Won-i leaked the party member list during the local elections' are clear falsehoods."

He continued, "The former aide's sexual assault case was ultimately dismissed with no charges after the prosecution's investigation," and explained the facts, "The claim that I committed secondary harm to the victim was also dismissed after an investigation by the Democratic Party's Ethics Inspection Team."

On the 15th, preliminary candidate Kim Won-i held a press conference announcing his candidacy. [Photo provided by Kim Won-i's preliminary candidate office]

In particular, he corrected, "It was not a party member list but an application form for party membership, and this case was also dismissed with no charges regarding official secrets leakage and violation of the Public Official Election Act following investigations into the former aide and others. I am not subject to a 20% reduction. I have not received any notification from the party regarding this matter."

He added, "I passed the Democratic Party preliminary candidate verification process without any issues in one go," and criticized, "The purpose of those spreading false information and slander is to blind the eyes and ears of Mokpo citizens and induce wrong choices."

Furthermore, he expressed his distress, saying, "Until now, I have endured believing that the citizens of Mokpo would recognize the truth," and "However, the situation has come where lies are being fabricated and spread based on false information and slander."

Candidate Kim Won-i stated, "From now on, I will strongly hold all legal responsibilities, both civil and criminal, for the spread of false information, slander, and distribution of fake news," and requested, "Citizens who witness such slander should report it to the Kim Won-i election campaign."

Meanwhile, the incumbent Mokpo City National Assembly member Kim Won-i entered politics as a Grade 7 public official, served as an aide to National Assembly members Kim Geun-tae and Cheon Jeong-bae, worked as an administrative officer at the Blue House during the Kim Dae-jung administration, and as a policy aide to Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education Yoo Eun-hye. After serving as the Deputy Mayor for Political Affairs (vice-ministerial level) of Seoul Metropolitan City, he was elected as a member of the 21st National Assembly.