DP National Convention Poll Accusations, Call for Truth Investigation

The Alliance for the Defense of Truth held an additional press conference regarding allegations of inducing false responses and obstruction of business during the Democratic Party's national convention public opinion poll, which were first raised on August 27. They urged investigative agencies to file a complaint against Lee Jong-won concerning the obstruction of business allegations and called for stern disciplinary action at the party level. Voices from Democratic Party members demanded a thorough investigation into acts that undermine the legitimacy of the national convention results.

At the press conference, it was revealed that the term 'Kim Seon-ho' was used by supporters of party leader candidate Jeong Cheong-rae to mock the fact that newly elected party leader Kim Min-seok was not elected by a majority in the first round of voting but in the second preference vote. It was argued that if there had been no illegal intervention in the opinion poll, candidate Kim Min-seok would have won by a majority in the first round. This was pointed out as revealing distrust in the results of the national convention.

Citing Albert Camus' famous quote, 'Not to punish yesterday's crime is to encourage tomorrow's criminal,' the necessity of punishing illegal acts in opinion polls was emphasized. Attempts to cover up illegalities under the guise of party harmony were criticized as being similar to the opposition to punishing Nazi collaborators during President de Gaulle's era. It was argued that the Democratic Party's democratic values must be upheld through truth-finding and punishment.

It was stated that while the national convention public opinion poll accounts for 30% of the total, contrary to the 'equal value of votes' emphasized to party members with full rights, it actually accounts for 84 votes per person. It was argued that this imbalance contradicts the principles emphasized by the previous leadership. Concerns were raised that the public opinion poll method could exert excessive influence on specific candidates.

Sisa Tapa's Lee Jong-won is accused of inducing false responses from viewers during live broadcasts on his YouTube channel 'Sisa Tapa TV' on August 14 and 15, which has over 500,000 subscribers and 10,000 concurrent viewers. Lee Jong-won instructed viewers to 'be quick-witted and respond cleverly,' stating that since Seoul and Gyeonggi regions were full, they should choose other regions like Gangwon or Gyeongbuk, and since people in their 40s and 50s were full, they should choose 20s and 30s. This broadcast, which aimed to induce false responses by faking region and age, has led to accusations of obstruction of business by deception and violation of the Political Parties Act.

It was pointed out that after Lee Jong-won's broadcast, the results of the national public opinion poll changed abnormally rapidly. Candidate Lee Sung-yoon, who had previously ranked 5th or 6th in regional circuit votes among party members with full rights, suddenly ranked 1st, while candidate Park Seon-won, who had consistently ranked 2nd, dropped to 5th, resulting in outcomes favorable only to specific candidates. The fact that all these criminal acts were conducted openly during a live broadcast was criticized.

Emphasizing that process and procedures are as important as results in a democracy, it was stressed that such illegalities and foul play should not be tolerated in the history of the Democratic Party. Along with the complaint about illegal activities during the Democratic Party's national convention public opinion poll, a thorough investigation and severe punishment of those responsible were demanded.

Allegations that Supreme Council member Lee Sung-yoon enjoyed illegal criminal profits were raised, urging his immediate resignation. Furthermore, he was asked to dedicate himself to the victory and success of the Lee Jae-myung administration and the Democratic Party.

The civic group stated that they submitted the complaint to the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's Cyber Investigation Unit. They explained that the reason was that the Mapo Police Station had shown a tendency to mishandle and suppress investigations into numerous cybercrimes related to Sisa Tapa's Lee Jong-won. They added that they submitted it directly to the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, not the Mapo Police Station, to ensure fairness and objectivity in the investigation.

It was alleged that Sisa Tapa's Lee Jong-won, acting as the 'Team Jeong Cheong-rae' action leader, campaigned for the Jo Guk Innovation Party, a different party, during the last local elections despite being a Democratic Party member with full rights, and extensively campaigned for the defeat of then-Democratic Party candidate Kim Yong-nam. It was stated that an audit by the Ethics Inspection Team is currently underway under the instruction of current party leader Kim Min-seok, and allegations of harassing the head of the Ethics Inspection Team were also raised. Strong disciplinary action was demanded for such disruptive behavior.

It was pointed out that the Mapo Police Station has no jurisdiction over the Sisa Tapa Lee Jong-won case. It was argued that according to police investigation rules, jurisdiction should be based on either the registered address, actual residence, or crime scene, and Lee Jong-won has no connection to Mapo. Warning that enforcing jurisdiction violation could constitute abuse of power, independent investigative power and investigations free from external pressure were urged.

It was stated that about 2,500 co-complainants participated in this complaint, and the victims are spread nationwide. They explained that they have deep distrust of the Mapo Police Station. Therefore, they demanded that a credible investigative agency, such as the National Police Agency or the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, handle the case.

Citing past cases of suspected inadequate investigation into special assault incidents, criticism was leveled that despite clear evidence of assault with a chair, only a fine was imposed. Citing cases where minor penalties were given despite sufficient evidence, such as incidents of striking the victim's face, an improvement in the Mapo Police Station's investigative practices was demanded.

It was criticized that gaining and enjoying profits through illegal crime is a disgraceful act for Supreme Council member Lee Sung-yoon, who has dedicated himself to fairness, common sense, truth, and justice. His resignation and dedication to the party's victory were emphasized as necessary.

It was revealed that Lee Jong-won, far from reflecting, is engaging in atrocious acts of intimidating party members with full rights and some democratic citizens who participated in the joint complaint by threatening to file counter-lawsuits. Severe measures to prevent recurrence of such intimidation against party members were urged upon the party leader and the Ethics Inspection Team. Strong action is needed to protect internal party order and the rights of party members.

The possibility of a central party audit for Lee Jong-won, who is not a party official, was discussed, and disciplinary action at the Gyeonggi Provincial Party level was asserted as necessary. It was revealed that Lee Jong-won has a history of being warned by the Gyeonggi Provincial Party for campaigning against candidate Kim Yong-nam during the last local elections, with disciplinary action even being mentioned. The active role of the central party and the Gyeonggi Provincial Party was demanded to address the repetition of such disruptive behavior.

It was claimed that besides Lee Jong-won's profits from Super Chat, the biggest criminal profits were seen by Supreme Council members Lee Sung-yoon, Han Min-soo, and Choi Min-hee. Since their actions resulted in criminal gains, it was emphasized that an audit must be conducted to determine if they conspired with Lee Jong-won. This was added as a critical matter that the central party must resolve.

It was revealed that Lee Jong-won's office and home are in Ilsan, Gyeonggi Province, and his recent Sisa Tapa broadcasts are conducted from his home. Questioning what connection Lee Jong-won has to Mapo, the issue of Mapo Police Station's jurisdiction was raised again. Considering the seriousness of the actions, it was emphasized that disciplinary action is essential regardless of regional jurisdiction.