The People Power Party (PPP) announced that they would file a counterclaim against Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), for spreading false information and perjury, after the DPK accused Yong-tae Kim, the PPP’s Emergency Response Committee Chairman, of criticizing Lee’s statement about the cost of coffee.
On May 18th, Joo Jin-woo and Choi Ki-sik, leaders of the PPP’s Central Campaign Committee’s Negative Response Team, stated that they would counter the accusations against Kim by accusing Lee of violating public election laws through the dissemination of false information and perjury.
The controversy started when Lee claimed that the cost of a cup of coffee was 120 KRW, which was seen as insensitive to small business owners. The PPP criticized Lee’s comment, stating it caused distress among small business owners and accused Lee of accusing Kim of raising concerns.
The DPK argued Lee’s statement was distorted and clarified that Lee did not claim coffee was being sold at excessive prices. Instead, they contended Lee was emphasizing efforts to balance protecting public access while supporting local vendors.
The DPK filed a complaint against Kim for allegedly misrepresenting Lee’s remarks in a way that suggested coffee shop owners were exploiting consumers, claiming this was a deliberate act to damage Lee’s election prospects.