Jeonbuk Provincial Party Consistently Claims 'Ignorance' on Public Opinion Manipulation Allegations

In response to a question from Newstamsa reporter Kang Jin-gu, a Jeonbuk Provincial Party official admitted to being aware of the allegations of public opinion poll manipulation that arose in eight cities and counties in Jeonbuk. This was a significant issue that had caused a stir in local political circles leading up to the June 3 local elections.

The official indirectly indicated that the allegations were widely known, stating, "Yes, I am aware of it."

A Jeonbuk Provincial Party official stated that the Jeonbuk Provincial Party is not an investigative agency and therefore cannot conduct a truth investigation into the allegations of public opinion poll manipulation. The official expressed difficulty in understanding technical aspects such as specific number manipulation or changes in public opinion poll response rates.

This statement can be interpreted as suggesting an absence of efforts by the provincial party to uncover the truth, or a lack of capacity to do so.

Reporter Kang Jin-gu explained that the specific mechanism of public opinion manipulation in the Jeonbuk region involved using burner phones to manipulate 'safe numbers.' Election brokers residing outside the region opened thousands of burner phones under the names of non-residents and set the address to a specific region (e.g., Jinan-gun).

Kang explained that by exploiting the system where 'safe numbers' are assigned primarily to recently opened phones, these burner phones become highly likely to be included in the 'safe number' list for that region. He added that in the case of Jinan-gun, there was an abnormal instance where the number of 'safe numbers' surged from 7,000 to 10,000.

Reporter Kang Jin-gu highlighted the abnormal response rates that appear as a result of public opinion poll manipulation. While public opinion polls generally have a response rate of 5-10%, manipulated polls show an abnormal phenomenon where the response rate skyrockets to as high as 50% in just 30 minutes.

Kang explained that this is because organized voting directives are given via burner phones, prompting respondents to answer immediately when the survey begins. He pointed out that a 50% response rate indicates people were waiting to receive calls and answered as soon as they came in, which is clear evidence of public opinion poll manipulation.

A Jeonbuk Provincial Party official maintained an attitude of being unable to comment on the public opinion poll manipulation allegations, both in the past and now, ahead of the announcement of the investigation results. This is criticized as a lack of will to resolve the situation and an irresponsible stance.

The official's evasion of answers clearly revealed the provincial party's passive attitude toward uncovering the truth of the incident.

To a question about response measures for the public opinion poll manipulation incident in eight cities and counties in Jeonbuk, a Jeonbuk Provincial Party official consistently replied with "I don't remember" or "There's nothing I can tell you" regarding the central party's instructions or subsequent actions. This is criticized as an irresponsible attitude, focused solely on evading responsibility despite serious allegations.

Such answers from provincial party officials suggest a lack of substantive effort to resolve the incident.

When asked about procedural changes in the primary election process, a Jeonbuk Provincial Party official replied that the central party had not changed the primary election method itself. This could suggest that the public opinion poll manipulation allegations are due to individual acts of manipulation, rather than structural problems with the primary election method.

The fact that abnormal public opinion poll results appeared despite no formal changes to the primary election method increases the possibility of additional manipulation.

Policy Director Kim Do-hyung claimed to reporters that, as policy director, he was unaware of details related to the nomination process or public opinion poll manipulation allegations. However, Kim is known as a de facto influential figure in personnel and nomination matters within the Jeonbuk Provincial Party, leading to criticism that his answer is an evasion of responsibility.

His stance, emphasizing only policy work and claiming no involvement in the related allegations, is seen as far from a responsible attitude for the provincial party.

The reporter once again demanded an explanation from Director Kim Do-hyung regarding the abnormal circumstances in public opinion polls targeting eight Jeonbuk local governments, where 'safe numbers' suddenly increased and the response rate climbed to 50%. Emphasizing that such unprecedented figures could be clear evidence of manipulation, the reporter urged a responsible answer to the related allegations.

The reporter's repeated questioning appears to be a challenge to the provincial party officials' continuous evasive answers.

The reporter raised allegations that Assemblywoman Lee Sook-ja of Namwon was effectively cut off due to a report submitted jointly by Director Kim Do-hyung and another party official. This suggests that Director Kim Do-hyung is not merely a policy official but an influential figure wielding significant power in the nomination process.

The reporter claimed that Assemblywoman Lee Sook-ja suffered an unfair cutoff due to this report, pointing out the arbitrary actions of party officials and issues with personnel authority within the provincial party.

The reporter strongly criticized that while party leader Kim Min-seok is striving for party reform, including replacing high-ranking party officials, the 20-30-year-old party official system remaining in local parties is ruining the Democratic Party. This points out that chronic problems in local organizations persist despite the central party's reform efforts.

The reporter criticized this party official organization for effectively dominating the party's nomination rights and controlling the party, emphasizing that a drastic shake-up of local party official organizations is necessary for genuine reform of the Democratic Party.