Chung Cheong-rae's Alleged Condonement: Will Jeonbuk Poll Rigging Explode?

Reporter Heo Kyung raised suspicions that numerous petitions and complaints regarding Jeonbuk public opinion poll manipulation were received by the Democratic Party's central headquarters during the June 3 local elections, but former Supreme Council member Chung Cheong-rae condoned them. It is argued that Chung might have thought, 'What's the big deal?' or that a candidate he supported could have been involved in the corruption. Currently, 8 cities and counties are under investigation, with the possibility of by-elections even being discussed. Reporter Heo Kyung stated, "During the 63 local elections, numerous people petitioned and complained to the Democratic Party's central headquarters, especially to Representative Chung Cheong-rae, but he thought too lightly, 'What's the big deal?' Or perhaps Representative Chung's favored candidate was involved in the corruption. Anyway, this public opinion poll manipulation corruption, which was vaguely passed over by the central party, seems likely to explode soon with the police investigation results, and a considerable ripple effect is expected."

Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung maintains a cautious stance on the deployment of troops to the Strait of Hormuz. During a meeting with civic groups, he mentioned, "My concerns are deep," and stated that discussions are underway with major countries like France and the UK regarding security operations. It is reported that concrete decisions regarding the scale, timing, and inclusion of combat troops for deployment are currently facing difficulties.

Reports indicate an atmosphere in presidential office staff meetings where mentioning approval ratings is taboo. Reporter Heo Kyung, after inquiring with a presidential office official, was told that the President never discusses approval ratings in front of his staff. This is interpreted as a demonstration of his will to recover approval ratings through national governance achievements rather than being swayed by approval rating indicators, and an intention to avoid putting unnecessary stress on his staff.

Controversy is escalating as Yong Hye-in, nominee for Minister of Gender Equality and Family, announced her intention to retain her position as a lawmaker even after taking office. Unlike the long-standing practice for proportional representation lawmakers to resign their seats upon joining the cabinet, candidate Yong cited the fact that her party, the Basic Income Party, would fall to an extra-parliamentary party if she resigned. Critical voices are emerging even within the opposition bloc regarding this. Candidate Yong's side has shown a willingness to confront this issue head-on through the confirmation hearing. Reporter Heo Kyung said, "Yong Hye-in, nominee for Minister of Gender Equality and Family, has announced her intention to retain her position as a lawmaker even after taking office, and the controversy is growing. Unlike the long-standing practice for proportional representation lawmakers to resign their seats upon joining the cabinet, candidate Yong cites the fact that if she resigns, the Basic Income Party would fall to an extra-parliamentary party."

Newstamsa cast members criticized the Democratic Party's central headquarters for stating that they would reconsider the primary election method after the police investigation results are announced, calling it "an extremely irresponsible and complacent idea." They criticized that waiting without proactive measures when the timing of the investigation results is unknown shows a lack of willingness to resolve the issue.

In the August 2025 Jinan County Chief suitability poll, candidate Han Su-yong had 29.8% and incumbent Jeon Chun-seong had 29.5%, showing a close contest. However, just one month later, in the September poll, candidate Han Su-yong dropped to 15.9% while Jeon Chun-seong significantly led with 34.1%. The sudden reversal of support in just one month without any special circumstances was presented as a basis for manipulation allegations.

Despite Jinan County's population decreasing by several hundred people each year, suspicions have been raised that the number of secure phone numbers suddenly increased by 3,000, reaching a total of 10,000, just before Chuseok in September 2025. It is pointed out that the sharp increase in secure numbers relative to Jinan County's population of 24,000 is abnormal. Newstamsa cast members stated, "In Jinan County, secure numbers suddenly increased by 3,000 just before Chuseok. The population decreases by several hundred each year, but the secure numbers increased by 3,000." They suggested the possibility that the Myeong Tae-kyun style of poll manipulation technique was involved. This claim contradicts the population fluctuation of approximately 400 deaths and 20 births per year.

The misuse of communication bill addresses has been identified as a method used for manipulating secure phone numbers in public opinion polls. Newstamsa cast members explained, "If someone living in the Seoul metropolitan area opens a cell phone and sets their billing address to Jinan, that number is registered as a secure number for Jinan County." This suggests that election brokers obtained secure numbers nationwide and then set only the billing address to the relevant region to make them appear as participants in local public opinion polls. It is suspected that secure numbers were allocated in this manner in 8 cities and counties in the Jeonbuk region.

The host pointed out that a particular public opinion poll ending in 30 minutes was "almost impossible" and abnormal. This strongly suggests the involvement of specific techniques for poll manipulation, and suspicions have been raised that a manipulation technique targeting voters in their 20s was used.

It was claimed that the number of secure phone numbers and response rates abnormally fluctuated according to the stages of the public opinion poll investigation. The timing of the sharp increase in secure numbers in September and the 25.8% response rate coincided with the start of the police investigation and the rejection of the search and seizure warrant. Notably, in March 2026, the response rate reached an unprecedented high of 48%.

After allegations of public opinion poll manipulation emerged, there were drastic changes in candidates' approval ratings. After the September poll, Han Su-yeong, who had been slightly ahead, saw her approval rating almost halved to 15.9%. In contrast, Lee Kyu, who was last in January, ended up in a runoff against Jeon Chun-seong, adding weight to the manipulation allegations.

Public opinion poll response rates, which typically hover around 20%, recorded unusual figures exceeding 40-50% in Honam regions like Jinan, Muju, and Jangsu. Notably, the Muju region's response rate was confirmed to be over half. Similar abnormal response rates were observed in surveys by Jeonbuk Ilbo and KBS Jeonju General Bureau, further fueling suspicions of manipulation.

Candidate Han Su-yeong claimed to have reported public opinion poll manipulation allegations to the Democratic Party's central headquarters numerous times, but former Supreme Council member Chung Cheong-rae completely condoned them. It was criticized that despite the issue needing to be addressed through Supreme Council discussions, it was excluded from discussions among Supreme Council members who were aware of the incident, such as Lee Hyun-joo, Kang Deok-gu, and Hwang Myeong-sun, and no action was taken. The central party's passive response was pointed out as having exacerbated the manipulation allegations.

Yoon Jae-sik stated that he requested former Supreme Council member Chung Cheong-rae to proceed with a primary election for party members, raising concerns about the contamination of secure phone numbers, but his request was ignored. Despite raising the issue through all channels, it was not even put on the agenda of the Supreme Council. This leads to suspicions that former Supreme Council member Chung Cheong-rae may have intentionally blocked the proposal.

Yoon Jae-sik stated that it was discussed to refer the matter to the strategic committee and postpone the primary if there was an interim announcement from the police, but this was not actually fulfilled. As the police did not make an announcement due to concerns about hindering the investigation, the Democratic Party proceeded with the primary as initially planned. This leads to criticism that despite allegations of public opinion poll manipulation, the primary process was pushed through.

During the investigation into allegations of Jeonbuk public opinion poll manipulation, the Jeonju District Prosecutor's Office and Jeonju District Court rejected search and seizure warrants multiple times, hindering the investigation. Eventually, around April 2026, the police were able to secure a warrant by circumventing the Jeonju District Prosecutor's Office and going through another prosecutor's office. The reporter stated, "They received the warrant by circumventing the Jeonju District Prosecutor's Office and going through another prosecutor's office," indicating difficulties in the investigation process.

It was pointed out that while the Democratic Party took swift and decisive action in the case of Jeonbuk Governor Kim Kwan-young, expelling him within a day of the investigation, it is reacting passively to the public opinion manipulation allegations. Yoon Jae-sik stated, "Why did someone who took such swift and decisive action without waiting for police investigation results act differently with these public opinion polls? Even if the police investigation doesn't officially confirm that there's a problem with the poll, an response rate of 50% and 3,000 additional secure numbers in one month is strange, isn't it?" He criticized the party's selective standards for pushing ahead with the primary despite abnormal signs.

Choi Jong-ho analyzed that a 3,000 increase in Jinan County's secure phone numbers and a 50% response rate within a month is "reasonable to consider as a result of organized enrollment." Given that the normal response rate for wireless ARS public opinion polls is 5-10%, it is impossible for secure numbers to surge and the response rate to approach 50% in a rural area without mechanical setup. These abnormal figures strongly support the possibility of organized poll manipulation.

When asked about the public opinion poll manipulation allegations, the former county chief claimed complete ignorance of the poll methods and the increase in secure numbers, retorting, "You shouldn't ask me that. Why are you asking me that?" He also denied any specific organizational operation by his candidate camp and maintained that the primary election was conducted according to the party's designated methods. Such a response could be perceived as avoidance rather than clarification of the allegations.

An investigator from the Jeonbuk Provincial Police Agency stated that they are investigating allegations of public opinion poll manipulation involving 8 cities and counties. While unable to disclose specific details, he mentioned that they are "working quickly." After securing communication data through search and seizure, the investigation is accelerating, and they are focusing their efforts on specific areas to prove criminal charges.

An investigator from the Jeonbuk Provincial Police Agency stated that it is "difficult to elaborate" on whether the 8 city/county complaint cases are being investigated collectively, as the investigation is ongoing. The summoning of relevant individuals is also being kept confidential due to the need to maintain investigation secrecy. He mentioned, "There are parts where there are suspicions and parts where there aren't," implying that the investigation is selectively targeting areas with credible allegations.

With the statute of limitations for the Public Official Election Act set for December 2, the police aim to conclude the investigation by September, or October at the latest. Reporter Kang Jin-guk stated, "I think the police will conclude it by September, or October at the latest." They are focusing their investigative efforts on the possibility of involvement by poll brokers and have expressed their determination to conclude the investigation before the statute of limitations expires.