Im Dalhee, Gongju Mayoral Preliminary Candidate, Vows Strong Action Against "Fake News"... Legal Measures for False Dissemination

"Allegations of Ineligibility, Family Crimes, and Sex Offenses"
Firm Response to Widespread, Unverified Claims

Im Dalhee, Preliminary Candidate for Mayor of Gongju, Democratic Party of Korea

With the local elections scheduled for June 3, the campaign team of Im Dalhee, Preliminary Candidate for Mayor of Gongju, Democratic Party of Korea, announced a strong stance against the spread of “fake news” circulating in the community. The team judged that indiscriminate dissemination of defamatory information that differs from the facts is clouding voters’ judgment.

On March 22, the campaign released a press statement saying, “Recently, unverified and false information has been rapidly spreading, particularly in the Gongju region,” adding, “Since this could constitute the dissemination of false information and slander against candidates under the Public Official Election Act, we will respond strictly.”

In particular, the campaign defined the reported information as “blatant fake news” and disclosed specific examples.

According to the campaign, provocative and unverified claims are currently spreading throughout the community, including: ▲allegations that Im is ineligible to run due to election law violations; ▲suspicions that Im and his family are involved in crimes such as theft; ▲rumors of the candidate’s child being involved in an assault incident; and ▲groundless claims regarding sex crimes.

The campaign stated, “Content completely different from the facts is being repeatedly spread, causing serious damage to the reputation of the candidate and his family,” and added, “We consider this to be intentional and organized dissemination of fake news.”

Im Dalhee said, “Policy competition is always possible, but attacking opponents with groundless fake news undermines democracy,” adding, “In particular, I will never tolerate malicious slander that drags my family into this.”

He continued, “Fake news is not merely a rumor—it is a serious illegal act that distorts voters’ judgment. We will hold not only the original distributors but also those who reproduce and spread such content fully accountable until the end.”

He further added, “Citizens of Gongju will judge based on policies and sincerity, not fake news. We will remain steadfast in ensuring a fair and clean election until the very end.”

The campaign is currently verifying the routes through which the information is being spread and checking the facts regarding some defamatory claims, and plans to formally request an investigation from law enforcement agencies if necessary.

Additionally, the campaign announced its intention to make every effort to block the spread of fake news through citizen reports.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.