People Power Party Jecheon Mayoral Candidate Faces Allegations of Spreading False Information

Allegations of disseminating false information have emerged during the People Power Party's primary contest for the Jecheon mayoral candidacy ahead of the June 3 local elections. This is expected to delay the party's candidate selection schedule and disrupt preparations for the main election.

The controversy began with a press release distributed by Lee Jae-woo, a preliminary candidate for the People Power Party's Jecheon mayoral race, just before the primary. Lee Jae-woo's camp distributed the release under the title 'Abrupt Endorsement of Preliminary Candidate Lee Chan-gu,' but Lee Chan-gu immediately denied it.

Lee Chung-hyung, who was eliminated in the preliminary round, held a press conference to address the issue, highlighting election fraud problems such as the dissemination of false information and demanding action from the party. Lee Chung-hyung stated, 'The spread of false information is a serious act of election fraud that distorts voters' judgment and shakes the foundation of democracy,' demanding, 'Given that the fairness of the primary has been compromised, a review and strict measures from the party are absolutely necessary.'

Under the Public Official Election Act, the dissemination of false information can directly affect election outcomes. With the final primary date postponed to early May, the time available for main election preparations has also been reduced. Amidst the Democratic Party's confirmation of Lee Sang-cheon as their candidate, this 'false information dissemination' allegation could impact the People Power Party's competitiveness in the main election, and the formation of a unified party ('one team') amidst internal conflict is expected to be a variable in the Jecheon mayoral election.