The Democratic Party of Korea decided on the 23rd to file a complaint against Kim Moon-soo, the People Power Party's presidential candidate, for violating the Public Official Election Act. This follows a claim that Kim's criticism of Democratic Party candidate Lee Jae-myung's statement about 'coffee cost of 120 won' was based on false information, stating that Kim portrayed self-employed individuals as greedy and immoral business operators.

Kim Moon-soo, the People Power Party presidential candidate, visits the Korea Medical Association in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, on the 22nd, explaining his position on resolving the conflict between politics and medicine during a meeting with the chairman and executives, including Chairman Kim Taek-woo. /Courtesy of News1

The Election Countermeasures Committee of the Democratic Party of Korea's Public Election Law Support Team said, "Kim has disseminated false information by excerpting and criticizing parts of Lee's 'coffee cost of 120 won' statement," and announced their intention to file a complaint.

Earlier, Kim had posted on Facebook on the 18th, stating, "(Lee) views self-employed individuals as greedy and immoral business operators while claiming to revive the livelihood economy, which is absurd," and added, "I hope he apologizes immediately to the self-employed and small business owners who struggle every day."

In response, the support team stated, "The statement made by Lee during his tenure as governor regarding illegal operations in valleys was made while ensuring public access rights to the valleys and finding ways to support the livelihoods of those being cracked down on," and rebuffed by saying, "Just two weeks before the presidential election, there is no basis for saying that he viewed self-employed individuals as greedy and immoral business operators."

The support team noted, "Kim disseminated false information with the intention of preventing Lee from being elected president," and urged for a swift and thorough investigation by the authorities.

The controversial statement about 'coffee cost of 120 won' was made on the 16th during Lee's campaign in Gunsan, North Jeolla Province, while he was introducing the achievements of the 'valley management project' during his tenure as governor. He said, "If I sell boiled chicken for 50,000 won after sweating for an hour, I might only make 30,000 won. Meanwhile, a cup of coffee can be sold for 8,000 to 10,000 won. I found out that the cost is 120 won." Although it was a statement emphasizing administrative achievements through persuasion, there has been backlash among café workers questioning whether this implied "excessive profiteering."