Kim Min-seok Takes Action on Allegations of Public Opinion Manipulation by 'Pro-Jeong Cheong-rae' YouTuber

Democratic Party leader Kim Min-seok immediately responded to Newstapa's report, hinting at legal action. Kim Min-seok's response is seen as a significant acceptance of the Newstapa report. In contrast, the pro-Jeong Cheong-rae group, including Kim Eo-jun, ignored or did not mention the report. Reporter Kang Jin-gu praised Kim Min-seok's swift response as a display of 'definite competency,' emphasizing the differentiation from 'Team Jeong Cheong-rae.'

These allegations of public opinion manipulation are a new type of real-time election interference crime, and their seriousness is significant. Reporter Park Dae-yong warned that if left unaddressed, similar forms of election poll disruption could worsen in the future. In past cases, 14 people were indicted and 9 were arrested and sentenced to prison for manipulating public opinion polls by misrepresenting age and region. Given these past precedents, it is pointed out that these allegations are also likely to lead to arrest.

Newstapa asked YouTuber Lee Jong-won about Rep. Jeong Cheong-rae's awareness of the public opinion manipulation. However, Lee Jong-won initially refused to give a direct answer, resorting to abusive language and evasion. Reporter Park Dae-yong mentioned that Lee Jong-won eventually failed to continue answering the 'incisive questions,' citing preparation for his broadcast. This is interpreted as an attempt to evade responsible explanations for the allegations.

Despite leader Kim Min-seok hinting at legal action regarding the public opinion manipulation allegations, the three Supreme Council members categorized as 'Team Jeong Cheong-rae' did not mention the issue. Reporter Kang Jin-gu observed that even within Team Jeong Cheong-rae, there was a toned-down demeanor, with Rep. Choi Min-hee only emphasizing media reform and adjusting her statements, fearing isolation. This suggests that the allegations are burdensome for Jeong Cheong-rae's side.

The atmosphere within 'Team Jeong Cheong-rae,' which had been strongly pressuring leader Kim Min-seok until last week, is rapidly changing. As legal action against relevant individuals such as YouTuber Lee Jong-won was mentioned, tension appears to be escalating within this group. Reporter Kang Jin-gu analyzed that Lee Jong-won is likely feeling nervous internally about leader Kim Min-seok's remarks regarding considering legal action. It was also observed that a sense of complicity regarding the public opinion manipulation allegations is spreading among supporters.

Kim Eo-jun is dismissing the current public opinion manipulation controversy as 'nothing serious,' treating it lightly. Reporter Park Dae-yong pointed out that Kim Eo-jun still views the Lee Jong-won controversy as firmly established. This could be interpreted as an attempt to overlook or downplay the seriousness of the allegations.

Controversy has arisen over the true nature of 'Sisa Tapa,' a YouTube channel that Rep. Choi Min-hee consistently interviews with and defends. Reporter Kang Jin-gu revealed that 87% of comments on Sisa Tapa are critical of President Lee Jae-myung. This shows a discrepancy between Rep. Choi Min-hee's claim of it being a 'representative YouTuber' and the actual content nature of Sisa Tapa, raising questions about the channel's political leanings.

YouTuber Lee Jong-won attempted to categorize critical groups within the Democratic Party's supporters as 'Red Team' and 'Taliban.' According to the Newstapa panel, 'Taliban' refers to those indifferent to the Democratic Party's success, while 'Red Team' is defined as those who offer advice out of a desire for the party to do well. This is an attempt to differentiate the roles of internal critics within the Democratic Party, suggesting an intention to distinguish between constructive criticism and indiscriminate criticism within the party.

The entrenched forces of the traditional democratic progressive camp, represented by 'Team Jeong Cheong-rae,' are arguing that they need to attract more party members to become the mainstream within the democratic progressive camp. The Newstapa panel pointed out that they do not fully endorse or support the Lee Jae-myung administration's policies. Concerns were also raised that internal divisions could provide fodder for conservative media outlets like JoongAng Ilbo, Chosun Ilbo, and Donga Ilbo. This highlights the complex power dynamics and leadership struggle between the pro-Lee Jae-myung and pro-Moon Jae-in factions within the Democratic Party.

An analysis suggests that YouTuber Lee Jong-won's past remarks emphasizing the importance of public opinion polls could be crucial evidence proving the motive and intent of the crime in relation to the current public opinion manipulation allegations. The Newstapa panel pointed out that Lee Jong-won knew the importance of public opinion polls in elections and could be seen as having planned this himself. This indicates a clear purpose of interfering with elections and ensuring the election of a specific candidate, and it is highly likely to be used as important grounds for sentencing in future trials.

Lee Jong-won claimed that he got the idea for encouraging participation in public opinion polls from the 'Jaem-ma-eul' bulletin board, shifting responsibility. He cited a Jaem-ma-eul post from August 15th at 8:56 AM as evidence. However, the Newstapa panel pointed out that Newstapa had already reported on the matter on August 14th, noting a discrepancy between Lee Jong-won's explanation and the actual timeline of events. This suggests a contradiction in Lee Jong-won's explanation.

Lee Jong-won claimed he got the idea from a 'Jaem-ma-eul' post uploaded at 8:56 AM on August 15th, Liberation Day morning. However, the Newstapa panel reminded him that Newstapa had already reported on the matter on August 14th, pointing out that Lee Jong-won's explanation does not match the chronology of events. Reporter Kang Jin-gu emphasized that 'the atrocious manipulation and incitement broadcast we showed yesterday' was on August 14th, asserting that Lee Jong-won's explanation lacks credibility. This can be seen as an attempt to evade the allegations.

It has been pointed out that the current allegations of public opinion manipulation are very similar to the 2012 case of poll manipulation by an aide to Lee Jung-hee, a candidate for the United Progressive Party. At that time, three individuals were arrested and convicted of anti-social crime, with the aide's text messages instructing people to misrepresent their age and region used as evidence. Reporter Kang Jin-gu stated, 'It's exactly the same as now. Lee Jung-hee's aide did this. Tell them to lie about their age,' emphasizing the similarity between the two cases. This suggests that the current matter could also be treated as a serious crime.

With past court cases presented where public opinion poll manipulation was ruled an 'anti-social crime' and arrest warrants were issued, calls are growing for the current allegations to be dealt with severely. Reporter Kang Jin-gu emphasized, 'The important thing is the anti-social nature of public opinion poll manipulation. They considered it an anti-social crime, and that's why they made an arrest.' The decision to arrest is made by comprehensively considering the defendant's involvement and criminal record. Criticism was also raised against the media for downplaying it as a mere partisan conflict, emphasizing the need to accurately understand the essence of the case.

YouTuber Lee Jong-won effectively confessed to the poll manipulation method by specifically encouraging viewers to select certain age groups and regions during a live broadcast. He instructed, 'For age, choose 20s or 30s, as 40s, 50s, and 60s might be full, so use your quick wit.' He also mentioned a specific 20s targeting manipulation technique, saying, 'If you want to be clever and quick-witted, choose Daegu-Gyeongbuk or Gangwon, and say you're in your 20s.' This was presented as clear evidence of an organized and intentional attempt at public opinion manipulation.

A sudden shift in candidate poll rankings before and after the manipulation instructions confirmed that the manipulation's influence was reflected in the actual results. Candidate Lee Seong-yoon consistently remained in a low rank (4th) before the manipulation instructions but suddenly jumped to 1st place in the polls afterward. With the overall gap between candidates being less than 1%, it is clear that the manipulated votes had a decisive impact. This is cited as the reason for the poll results contradicting the results from party members.

Allegations have been raised that Rep. Jeong Cheong-rae's side attempted to reverse the public opinion poll results by creating an 8% to 10% gap through manipulation. Reporter Kang Jin-gu stated that they were 'confident they would create this level of gap,' analyzing that they had meticulously calculated the manipulation's effect in advance. This suggests a strategic move differentiated from Kim Min-seok's side, indicating an organized attempt to produce results favorable to a specific candidate.

Allegations have arisen that specific phone numbers of polling agencies were leaked and possibly transmitted to Rep. Choi Min-hee via a YouTube channel administrator. Reporter Park Dae-yong pointed out that it is necessary to verify 'through what route Rep. Choi Min-hee obtained these phone numbers.' The possibility of involvement by the Sisa Tapa PD and administrator was also raised, and calls are being made for a thorough investigation into whether information was shared between Rep. Choi Min-hee and YouTuber Lee Jong-won. This intensifies suspicions about the mastermind behind the public opinion manipulation.

Poll experts point out that sharing real-time poll quota status externally is a clear obstruction of business. Reporter Park Dae-yong emphasized that 'the status of quota fulfillment during a poll should never be revealed externally.' Since all polls stop once quotas are filled on a first-come, first-served basis, real-time monitoring and network sharing constitute organized obstruction of business. This leads to intentionally distorting public opinion through over-sampling of specific respondents.

The allegations of Lee Jong-hoon's public opinion manipulation are defined as a new type of election crime, and calls are being made for severe punishment as an 'anti-social crime.' Reporter Park Dae-yong emphasized, 'It is a very anti-social crime, so severe punishment seems necessary.' In past precedents, such acts are considered serious matters that can lead to arrest and indictment. Since leader Kim Min-seok has ordered a review of legal action, a thorough investigation and strict punishment by relevant authorities are required.

In the appeal trial of Chun Cheon-soo's assault case involving reporter Kang Jin-gu, reporter Kang Jin-gu was fined 200,000 won. Reporter Kang Jin-gu was acquitted in the first trial, but claimed that the judge in the appeal trial was misled by Chun Cheon-soo's changed testimony and disputed the ruling. He stated, 'The appeal trial recently concluded, and I was fined 200,000 won. It seems the judge was again misled by Chun Cheon-soo's lies,' and announced his intention to appeal to the Supreme Court to seek a reversal and remand.

Reporter Kang Jin-gu raised a legal rebuttal to the appellate court's ruling, claiming violations of the strict principle of evidence-based trials and disregard for the defendant's right to defense. He stated, 'Especially for guilt or innocence, there's a strict principle of evidence-based trials, and when a judge makes a different judgment with the same evidence as in the first trial, they must grant the defendant the right to defense.' He emphasized that despite the ruling treating it as a minor matter, the defendant was not given sufficient defense rights when a different judgment was made with the same evidence as in the first trial. He also pointed out the discrepancy between the claim of joint assault and the actual fine of 200,000 won.