President Lee Jae Myung speaks at the ‘Listening to the Heart of North Chungcheong’ town hall meeting roundtable held at Cheongju Osco in North Chungcheong Province on the 13th. Yonhap News

On the 14th, President Lee Jae Myung criticized the behavior of the press on social media, saying, “Irresponsible media are more frightening than a weapon.”

That day on X (X), while sharing a post by Democratic Party lawmaker Lee Geon-tae relaying news that the Supreme Court had affirmed the lower court ruling sentencing Jang Young-ha, head of the People Power Party Sujeong District chapter in Seongnam, Gyeonggi, to one year in prison suspended for two years for publishing false information under the Public Official Election Act, President Lee wrote, “I yearn for a clear world without fake news, where truth and justice flow like a river.” It appeared to criticize media outlets that had reported, as is, Jang’s past claims raising the ‘gangster-ties allegation’ about him when he was a presidential candidate in the 20th presidential election.

President Lee said, “Even when a ruling like this comes out, the media that indiscriminately amplified and reported, without any verification, the baseless ‘Lee Jae Myung gangster-ties allegation’ have offered not even a correction, let alone an apology,” adding, “There has been no subsequent correction, and not even factual reporting.” He continued, “There are likely many people who still think I am tied to gangsters,” and wrote, “That is why media that report without fact-checking, that intentionally fabricate and distort, and that irresponsibly relay baseless false claims as they are are more frightening than a weapon.”

Jang had previously served as legal representative for Park Cheol-min, an enforcer of the Seongnam crime organization known as the International Mafia faction, and he faced charges for alleging in October 2021, based on Park’s statements, that President Lee received about 2 billion won in return for granting business favors to the International Mafia while serving as mayor of Seongnam. Prosecutors initially declined to indict, viewing Jang as having reported what he believed to be true based on Park’s words, but in May 2023 the court accepted the Democratic Party request for adjudication and sent Jang to trial.

At the end of his post, President Lee addressed Rep. Lee, writing, “I know well how hard you have worked. I am truly grateful. We still have much to do, so I ask for your continued support.” On X, Rep. Lee, in relaying the news that the sentence for Jang had been finalized, noted that he had taken part as a vice chair of the party legal committee when the Democratic Party filed the request for adjudication.