[2024 National Audit] Myeong Taegyun at the Public Administration Committee Audit... "Special Investigation on Kim Geonhee Needed"

Ruling Party: "Manipulating Opinion Polls Is Not Desirable"

At the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee's audit, the so-called 'election broker' Myung Tae-gyun's alleged illegal public opinion manipulation also surfaced. The opposition party pointed out that Kim Geon-hee, who is involved in the illegal public opinion manipulation allegations, should be thoroughly investigated, while the ruling party emphasized the need to preemptively block the possibility of manipulating opinion polls.

On the morning of the 25th, at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, during the comprehensive audit of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, the National Election Commission, and the National Police Agency held by the Administrative Safety Committee, Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min is delivering the oath statement to Chairman Shin Jeong-hoon.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

On the 25th, Jeong Chun-saeng, a lawmaker from the Innovation Party for the Nation, said at the Public Administration and Security Committee audit held at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, to Police Chief Jo Ji-ho, "Our society is caught up in suspicions of the president and his wife's interference in candidate nominations and Myung's controversy over state affairs manipulation," adding, "Myung's recorded conversations and Kang Hye-kyung's testimonies have been reported one after another, causing the suspicions to spread like wildfire."

He continued, "Myung brought a budget breakdown for 370 million won spent on 81 opinion polls and visited then President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol. Instead of paying the costs, President-elect Yoon nominated former lawmaker Kim Young-seon for the Changwon Uichang-gu by-election," and asked, "This is a case violating the Public Official Election Act, the Political Funds Act, and others. What is your opinion on this, Chief Jo?" Chief Jo responded, "I understand this case has been reported to the prosecution and the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials and is under investigation."

Jeong said, "The police should actively conduct an awareness investigation," and criticized, "While the judicial system conducts hundreds of raids just on suspicions against opposition figures such as Cho Kuk, leader of the Innovation Party for the Nation, Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party, and Kim Hye-kyung, why does it stop in front of Mrs. Kim?" He also emphasized, "We cannot trust the judicial authorities that dismiss allegations such as Mrs. Kim's stock price manipulation and luxury bag bribery," and stressed, "Therefore, a special prosecutor is necessary."

The ruling party focused on the opinion polls themselves. They argued that the Central Election Commission must actively block attempts to manipulate public opinion. Bae Jun-young, a lawmaker from the People Power Party, asked Kim Yong-bin, Secretary-General of the Central Election Commission, "Some opinion polls do not just influence public opinion but manipulate it to change election results," and questioned, "What do you think about the sudden release and promotion of an opinion poll result showing a certain candidate winning on the last day of the election opinion poll publication period?" He also pointed out, "Conducting opinion polls at the last minute to influence the election is undesirable."

Secretary-General Kim replied, "We are aware of issues such as the house effect and have been researching since last year," adding, "There are measures that can be implemented immediately, but legislative action is also necessary." The house effect refers to the phenomenon where the results of opinion polls are biased depending on the tendencies of the companies commissioning or conducting the polls.

Furthermore, in response to Bae's question, "Please prepare a method for voters to know the quality of opinion polls and the credibility of polling companies," Secretary-General Kim said, "Many studies are currently underway," and added, "There are pros and cons because the business freedom of polling companies is involved, but I will share the research results with the Public Administration and Security Committee members."