The National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee passed an amendment to the Public Official Election Act, led by the Democratic Party of Korea, removing the term 'act' from the criteria for false fact publication. If the election law amendment passes the plenary session and is enforced, there are analyses suggesting that it will not be possible to punish Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party's presidential candidate, who was remanded by the Supreme Court for a guilty ruling in an election law violation case.
The National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee passed an amendment to the Public Official Election Act, led by the Democratic Party of Korea, removing the term 'act' from the criteria for false fact publication. If the election law amendment passes the plenary session and is enforced, there are analyses suggesting that it will not be possible to punish Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party's presidential candidate, who was remanded by the Supreme Court for a guilty ruling in an election law violation case.
On the morning of the 14th at 10 a.m., the Legislation and Judiciary Committee held a general meeting at the National Assembly and passed an amendment to the election law that deletes 'act' from the criteria for false fact publication. The current Election Law Article 250 punishes the publication of false facts about a candidate's birthplace, family relations, occupation, career, property, and actions for the purpose of election.
The Democratic Party of Korea swiftly initiated an amendment to the election law after the Supreme Court remanded the candidate's election law violation case with a guilty finding. In the candidate's trial, the 'act' related to the late Kim Moon-ki, former head of the Seongnam Urban Development Corporation, became a contentious issue, hence the intention to eliminate regulations regarding 'acts' from false fact publication criteria. If the election law amendment is enforced, the candidate could receive a 'dismissal' ruling in future trials.
The People Power Party strongly opposed the processing of the election law amendment led by the Democratic Party of Korea during the Legislation and Judiciary Committee's general meeting on that day. The lawmakers of the People Power Party criticized the Democratic Party for proposing the amendment just a day after the Supreme Court ruling on the 1st, and passing it in less than a week through the National Assembly's Administrative Safety Committee, stating that they are fully committed to protecting the candidate.
People Power Party member Yoo Sang-beom, the committee's counselor, noted, "The part related to acts regarding false fact publication has already been declared unconstitutional by the Constitutional Court twice," and added, "False fact publication related to acts is necessary for the public to accurately judge candidates."
People Power Party member Song Seok-jun pointed out, "False fact publication is something we must be most vigilant about in elections; it is a bad crime that can distort the electoral landscape," questioning, "Are we pushing for a 'let's make Lee Jae-myung president without questioning' scenario, even if it creates an election based on lies?"