Did Jeong Cheong-rae Push Ahead with Primaries Even After Knowing About Jeolla Opinion Manipulation Allegations?

Claims have been made that opinion poll manipulation occurred in 8 cities and counties in Jeonbuk region, utilizing burner phones. New Tamsa cast members pointed out that Jeong Cheong-rae, former supreme council member of the Democratic Party (then party leader), proceeded with the primaries despite being fully aware of the risks of contamination from anonymous phone numbers. They argued that Jeong Cheong-rae is responsible for failing to break the collusion between corrupt local government heads and the police.

It was suggested that incumbent mayors and county chiefs elected in 8 cities and counties in Jeonbuk might have to face by-elections, depending on the results of the investigation into election brokers and opinion poll manipulation. New Tamsa cast members emphasized that this is a serious situation where all eight incumbent mayors and county chiefs could have their elections nullified. It is anticipated that if found to be involved in manipulation, large-scale by-elections would be unavoidable.

The case of Jinan County, Jeonbuk, was cited as specific evidence for the alleged manipulation of opinion polls, with an abnormal surge in anonymous phone numbers relative to the population. It was pointed out that it is not logical for 3,000 anonymous phone numbers to suddenly increase when Jinan County's population is less than 30,000. New Tamsa cast members criticized Jeong Cheong-rae, then party leader, for allegedly condoning this despite receiving reports.

A structural problem was highlighted where even when complainants raise issues through petitions or public complaints, cases are reassigned to the same investigators who previously suppressed them. This reality was criticized for neutralizing complainants' appeals and undermining the fairness of investigations. It was emphasized that the vicious cycle of cases being reassigned to the same investigators who previously covered them up continues unabated.

With the direct investigative powers of prosecutors set to be abolished on October 2nd, criticism has arisen that this is a significant issue obstructing corruption investigations. New Tamsa cast members cited cases of police investigations being buried and emphasized that if the direct investigative powers of prosecutors are abolished, prosecutors will no longer be able to conduct supplementary investigations, greatly increasing the likelihood of such corruption going unpunished. They expressed the stance that the direct investigative powers of prosecutors should be maintained.

Allegations were raised that Representative Jeong Cheong-rae played a significant role in making the Democratic Party a corrupt party by colluding with local power cartels. New Tamsa strongly asserted Rep. Jeong Cheong-rae's responsibility regarding the issue of nominating corrupt candidates during the 6.3 local elections. It reported that among Kwonli Party members in Jeolla Province, there are calls to hold Rep. Jeong Cheong-rae accountable, showing a critical stance on the matter.

An analysis suggested that former Supreme Council member Jeong Cheong-rae's support base is divided into 'Democratic Party Taliban' and 'local power cartel organizational votes.' New Tamsa claimed that a significant portion of the 46% of votes Jeong Cheong-rae received were organizational votes mobilized by local power cartels to protect their vested interests. They raised suspicions that these organizational votes heavily influenced the election results, questioning the fairness of the election.

Allegations surfaced that former Supreme Council member Jeong Cheong-rae shielded corrupt candidates, specifically stating he would personally handle the issue of Yeonggwang County Chief Jang Se-il. New Tamsa claimed that when a certain National Assembly member advised to remove Chief Jang Se-il, Jeong Cheong-rae reportedly said, "Just leave Jang Se-il to me." This led to criticism that he failed to sternly punish corrupt candidates and instead protected them.

New Tamsa stated that Lee Jong-won of Sisatapa's opinion poll manipulation was just the tip of the iceberg and that they cannot let manipulated primaries by larger manipulators go unaddressed. Accordingly, they announced a report on Lee Jong-won's duplicity for the following day. They also stated that after verifying facts, they plan to broadcast a Honam Tamsa program next week, promising continuous truth-finding.

Lee Jong-won argued that inciting opinion manipulation targeting an unspecified large number of people does not constitute incitement to crime, but Kang Jin-gu refuted this, stating that inciting an unspecified large number is an even greater crime, leading to a clash between their arguments. Kang Jin-gu asserted that inciting opinion manipulation itself is a serious crime with separate constituent elements, dismissing Lee Jong-won's claims.

Following Kim Min-seok, Supreme Council member's, notice of complaint, it has been confirmed that the Democratic Party has taken legal action regarding the opinion poll manipulation allegations. Kang Jin-gu advised Lee Jong-won to fully cooperate with this investigation and to appoint proper legal counsel to address the situation. This move by the Democratic Party is interpreted as demonstrating the party's strong will to respond to the opinion manipulation allegations.

Kang Jin-gu assessed that it was already too late for Lee Jong-won to dispute his guilt or innocence, suggesting Yoo Shi-min's apology regarding Han Dong-hoon and Kim Seung-hyun's admission of wrongdoing as models for reducing his sentence. He emphasized that if Lee Jong-won does not switch to an apology mode now and bow his head when he should, he will only hasten his own downfall. This is interpreted as a message urging Lee Jong-won to recognize the seriousness of the situation and take responsibility.

Kang Jin-gu revealed that Im Pil-soon confessed that Ssangbangwool's Kim Seong-tae and Lee Jae-myung were unrelated, and that the North Korean business was an independent acquisition for mineral development. Kang Jin-gu claimed that when he intended to make this information public, Im Pil-soon extorted him using the threat of exposing clothing gifts. Meanwhile, it was also revealed that most of the luxury clothes that caused controversy were determined to be counterfeit after investigation.

The host stated that they secured an interview regarding the Jeonbuk region's opinion poll manipulation, emphasizing that the content is very shocking and the truth must be revealed. They also raised suspicions of a Shincheonji disguised infiltration organization within the Democratic Party, asserting Representative Jeong Cheong-rae's negligence and responsibility. The host said, "The Democratic Party needs to reset," emphasizing the need for overall reform.

New Tamsa announced that with the launch of Honam New Tamsa, they plan to promote a direct-from-farm/fishing village platform for seasonal food in conjunction with farmers and fishermen in the Honam region. This is a new business model that directly connects farmers and fishermen with viewers, aiming to contribute to regional economic revitalization through content creation centered on seasonal foods. The host mentioned that new advertisements would be starting.

The New Tamsa host revealed that if major media outlets show interest and contact them about New Tamsa's investigation, they are willing to cede exclusive reporting. They stated that if large broadcasting companies like MBC, KBS, or JTBC report first, they don't necessarily need to be the first to report. This is interpreted as anticipating the impact of New Tamsa's investigative content and remaining open to collaboration among media outlets.