Park Sooyoung Posts and Deletes Photo of Ji Guiyeon on Social Media
Image Shows Eating Pork Belly at Adult Entertainment Bar... Suspected to Be AI-Generated
Democratic Party: "Spreading False Information and Illegal Electioneering"
On May 22, the Democratic Party of Korea announced that it would file a police complaint against Park Sooyoung, a member of the People Power Party, for violating the Public Official Election Act by allegedly spreading false information and engaging in illegal electioneering. On May 20, Park posted on his social media a photo of Ji Guiyeon, chief judge of the Seoul Central District Court who is presiding over the sedition trial of former President Yoon Suk-yeol, supposedly eating pork belly at an adult entertainment bar, but later deleted the post.
No Jongmyeon, member of the Democratic Party of Korea, is revealing photos related to the 'room salon entertainment' allegations against Ji Guiyeon, chief judge of the Seoul Central District Court, at the party headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul, on the 19th. Photo by Kim Hyunmin
The Democratic Party’s Election Committee’s Fair Election Legal Support Team stated in a press release that day, “Representative Park claimed that the ‘pork belly photo’ was the original, and falsely asserted that the photo released by the Democratic Party was a cropped version of the original.” The statement continued, “Additionally, he attacked candidate Lee Jaemyung by mockingly referring to him as ‘the candidate who called the golf photo fabricated.’” The team further explained, “The photo of Judge Ji eating pork belly at an adult entertainment bar was actually generated by artificial intelligence (AI),” and added, “The original creator even disclosed online how the image was created using ChatGPT.”
Previously, the Democratic Party had raised suspicions that Judge Ji had been entertained at an adult entertainment bar by someone related to his official duties. On May 14, Representative Kim Yongmin claimed, “We received a report that Judge Ji drank at a room salon where the cost per person ranges from 1 million to 2 million won on several occasions and never paid even once.” In response, the Supreme Court’s Ethics Inspector’s Office stated on May 16, “After allegations were raised against the judge, we have been reviewing all possible methods based on materials from the National Assembly and media reports to verify the facts. If any specific wrongdoing is confirmed in the future, we will proceed according to the relevant laws and procedures.”
On May 19, before the start of the trial, Judge Ji directly and strongly refuted the allegations, stating that they were not true. He said, “I am aware that there are many concerns and worries due to the recent allegations against me. I feel compelled to speak because I believe this trial itself may not be trusted.”
Judge Ji stated, “In my daily life, I eat pork belly and drink somaek. The allegations are not true,” and added, “I have never even considered being entertained at such places. More importantly, this is not that kind of era. There is no one who would even buy me pork belly and somaek.” He continued, “In the midst of such an important trial, if the court responds to every external provocation or attack arising from background investigations and ongoing suspicions about the judge, it could affect the proceedings of the trial itself. Going forward, both I and the court will continue to focus on conducting fair and prompt trials in accordance with the procedures set by law.”
After Judge Ji’s rebuttal, the Democratic Party presented additional photos showing Judge Ji at the adult entertainment bar with acquaintances. Noh Jongmyeon, spokesperson for the Democratic Party’s Election Committee, criticized, “There are photos, yet this shameless judge lied. How can someone like that preside over a sedition trial? It is unthinkable for the fate of Korean democracy to rest in the hands of such a judge.”
The Supreme Court’s Ethics Inspector’s Office is reportedly conducting basic fact-finding by visiting the adult entertainment bar that Judge Ji is said to have visited and reviewing materials obtained through the media. The Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials also announced on May 20 that it had assigned the case regarding Judge Ji’s alleged entertainment at the adult bar and had launched an investigation.
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