The liberal Democratic Party of Korea is ramping up its attack against the conservative People Power Party, including its presidential candidate Kim Moon-soo, accusing him of false statements during the campaign period ahead of the June 3 presidential election.
In the latest development, the Democratic Party made a criminal complaint against Kim for making a false beneficial statement about his career and property.
The move was in stark contrast to the liberal party’s move a few weeks back, when the Democratic Party pushed ahead with bills to loosen the application of the election libel law, saying that the criminal charges are being abusively sought against over claims made during the election.
The push was an apparent attempt to protect its presidential candidate Rep. Lee Jae-myung, whose own case involving false claim allegations was sent back to the lower court on May 1 with a recommendation for a guilty verdict.
The liberal party on Monday accused Kim of lying on his social media accounts twice this month, in saying that he had declined to receive living allowances from the government since a relevant law was effectuated in 2000, although he was eligible for the state's compensation for his involvement in the democratic movement in 1986.
The Democratic Party claimed that Kim was never eligible because he was either a lawmaker or an officeholder from 2000 to 2014. The party also accused two People Power Party lawmakers, Reps. Park Dae-chul and Jang Dong-hyeok, for spreading the false statement.
In response, Rep. Shin Dong-uk, a senior spokesperson at the People Power Party's campaign headquarters, told reporters Tuesday that Kim did not lie.
Shin refuted the Democratic Party's contention, saying that Kim had been eligible from 2000 to 2005 because the rule that excludes office holders from compensation had only been in effect since 2005.
Also among the figures against whom the Democratic Party filed a criminal complaint was the rival party's interim Chair Rep. Kim Yong-tae. The party sued Kim on Sunday for lying about remarks by the Democratic Party's candidate Lee.
The party claimed that Kim's social media post tried to imply Lee described coffee shop owners as ripping off customers, with respect to Lee's remarks Friday about the cost of making a cup of coffee. Kim on Monday declined to admit to lying, adding that Lee's remarks that the ground coffee used to make a cup of coffee costs 120 won (9 cents) made it sound like coffee shop owners were charging exorbitant prices to customers.
Article 250 of the Public Official Election Act stipulates that no one — including candidates themselves — should lie about a candidate in a way that either benefits or harms the candidate's reputation.
Under current rules, a false statement concerning the following are deemed an electoral offense: place of birth, family relations, social status, occupation, career, property, behavior, organization to which a candidate belongs, a candidate's spouse, lineal ascendants or descendants, siblings or about whether the candidate receives support from a specific entity.
The clause was the basis for the Supreme Court earlier in May finding Democratic Party presidential candidate Lee guilty of electoral offenses for making false statements during the election period in his previous presidential run in 2021-22.
The top court found that Lee lied about the motivation behind rezoning a property for a development project and about his relationship with a figure accused in a high-profile land corruption scandal, reversing the lower court's acquittal and sending the case back to the lower court.
The verdict on May 1 indicated that the clause was designed to uphold voters' right to know, which is enshrined under the Constitution, adding that the scope of the presidential candidate’s freedom of political expression should be somewhat restricted.
Denouncing the ruling against Lee — who has maintained his lead in polls ahead of the election — as a judicial coup, the Democratic Party has undertaken a legislative move that could immediately clear anyone, including Lee, of charges of making a false statement concerning a candidate's "behavior." Lee's conviction with a 1 million won fine or heavier before the June 3 election could have stripped him of his right to hold office, but the court decided not to hold criminal hearings concerning Lee before Election Day.
Also, earlier in November, the Democratic Party's Rep. Park Hee-seong floated a bill to remove the entirety of the clauses in the Public Official Election Act describing false statements about a candidate as an electoral offense. The bill is currently pending at the National Assembly.
consnow@heraldcorp.com
