A day before the 21st presidential election on the 2nd, the People Power Party sharply criticized the controversy over a false declaration of support for Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party of Korea candidate, by global investor Jim Rogers, chairman of Rogers Holdings, as a "financial market disruption" and a clear case of spreading false information. They rebutted the suspicions of comment manipulation by the historically conservative educational group Rebox School, stating that "there is no connection with the candidate Kim Moon-soo."
Jang Dong-hyuk, the head of the campaign situation room, said at a press conference held at the party's office in Yeouido that morning that reports indicate Jim Rogers directly rebutted the declaration of support for candidate Lee Jae-myung, adding, "The entire nation has been subjected to international disgrace," and condemned the candidate as "an international fraud presidential candidate and a voice phishing presidential candidate."
He further questioned, "Isn't this an organized act to disrupt the stock market? A thorough investigation is necessary," and pointed out, "Candidate Lee promised a stock price of 5,000, but does he mean to raise the stock price this way?"
He also raised suspicions of behind-the-scenes manipulation, stating, "This is a chronic and habitual shock issue manipulation project of the Democratic Party, and the party's manipulation DNA has been revealed," adding that "the behind the scenes is also suspect."
Jang noted, "Representative Lee Jae-gang, who held the press conference, is the head of the international cooperation team at Lee Jae-myung's campaign headquarters and was the former vice governor of (Gyeonggi Province) for peace. The individual Kim Jin-hyang, involved in this matter, was the director of the Kaesong Industrial Complex and joined Lee Jae-myung's camp in the last presidential election. He is now a co-representative of the Candlelight Action and advocates for the abolition of the National Security Law."
He added, "Professor Song Kyung-ho, who is a professor at Pyongyang University of Science and Technology, is suspected of being a training ground for nuclear development talents and hacker talents," stating that "Considering various circumstances, it is questionable who is behind the manipulation project."
Jang further stated, "We have confirmed with Rogers' side that he said, 'There is absolutely no such fact,' yet we received reports that this press conference was held," increasing the criticism: "It is a clear case of spreading false information. If a candidate lied this much in the presidential election, it would be appropriate for them to resign."
Prior to this, the corporate delegation from the Kaesong Industrial Complex stated on the 29th of last month at a conference organized by Lee Jae-gang, the co-head of the Democratic Party's overall election strategy headquarters, that Chairman Rogers supported the candidate Lee.
The candidate Lee also wrote on Facebook the day after the press conference that he had heard the declaration of support from Jim Rogers, stating, "Peace is not merely a political issue but an economic strategy," and "I completely agree with his statement that 'when Korea leaps as a trade, finance, and innovation hub in Northeast Asia.'"
However, controversy arose when Chairman Rogers stated through the media that he had not declared support for the candidate. Kim Jin-hyang, the permanent chairman of the Korea Peace Economic Conference, who read out Rogers' declaration of support, maintains the position that "Chairman Rogers' support for candidate Lee is a fact."
The People Power Party also strongly rebutted the allegations about the so-called June 3 election related "Rebox School comment manipulation," calling it a "plot" and asserted that candidate Kim Moon-soo has no connection to it.
Jang stated, "The Democratic Party keeps attacking Rebox School regarding the comments, and we will soon be able to see what kind of conspiracy and manipulation this is originating from," adding that "the candidate and the entire Democratic Party are lies themselves, so what about Rebox School?"
He said, "Rather, the Democratic Party and candidate Lee should explain first about the DDD list, alleged to be involved in comment manipulation against candidate Lee Jae-myung, saying that those from the comment training school are gathered. I have heard that this issue was closed after it was raised, so I hope the Democratic Party and candidate Lee clarify it first."
Shin Dong-uk, the Director General of the campaign, also said in a briefing that morning, "It is hard to understand what relationship Rebox School has with candidate Kim Moon-soo, what comments they manipulated, how many times and when, and why these people's political activities are certainly related to our party."
He added, "I could not confirm how well the candidate knows the person representing him. However, even if I knew them, if someone we know does something without our knowledge, the candidate should take responsibility."
Earlier, Newstapa reported on the 30th that the Rebox School, which conducts historical education related to former President Syngman Rhee and Park Chung-hee, was operating a comment team called 'descendants' (freedom-finger army saving the country with comments) in a building in Jongno, Seoul, which disparaged Democratic Party candidate Lee Jae-myung and Reform Party candidate Lee Jun-seok, while promoting candidate Kim Moon-soo. The Democratic Party raises questions about the connection between candidate Kim and Rebox School, citing the fact that candidate Kim appeared in a promotional video for Rebox School in 2020.