The Democratic Party held a press conference related to their police complaint against the People Power Party’s “Real News Discovery Team.” The Democratic Party filed a complaint against Lee Sang-hwi, chairman of the media special committee of the People Power Party and head of the Real News Discovery Team, and its members for defamation through false information.
During the press conference, the Democratic Party’s Legal Committee, Public Communication Committee, and the False Information Monitoring Unit announced their intent to file a complaint with the National Police Agency. They accused the members of spreading false information regarding a private luncheon held on January 8th between Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party representative, and foreign journalists.
The People Power Party’s “Real News Discovery Team” had previously claimed in a press release that Lee had a secret meeting with foreign reporters, including those from China’s Xinhua News Agency. They expressed concerns that the conversation might be reported to the Chinese government and could potentially violate the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act (Kim Young-ran Act).
In response, the Democratic Party stated that no secret meeting with foreign reporters took place and there were no secret conversations with Chinese correspondents. They clarified that the gathering was a regular study-based meeting attended by media from several countries, including the U.S., the U.K., and China.
Further, the Democratic Party noted that of the 25 foreign journalists present, only three were from Chinese media, dismissing the claims of a secret meeting with Chinese correspondents as exaggerated.
The foreign media journalists involved also issued a statement expressing deep regret over the baseless allegations. They criticized the People Power Party’s statement, asserting that it could negatively impact future domestic reporting activities. Additionally, they emphasized that the non-public luncheon was a typical part of reporting activities and should not be construed as a “secret meeting.” They warned that declaring such legitimate journalistic activities as unlawful not only undermines press freedom but also damages a fair reporting environment.