Kang Ki-yoon Campaign Committee Strongly Condemns "False Agitation" by Hastily Formed Civic Groups

Democratic Party Candidate Song Soon-ho Cries Out as Conservatives Unite

All Those Responsible for “If Not, Never Mind” Style Baseless Smear Campaigns

Will Be Held Fully Accountable under the Law

On May 28, the election campaign committee (hereinafter referred to as the campaign committee) for Kang Ki-yoon, the People Power Party candidate for mayor of Changwon, strongly condemned what it called the “baseless smear campaigns” by the Democratic Party candidate and hastily organized civic groups, denouncing their “if not, never mind” style of false agitation as a desperate attempt to rally the conservative base.

Kang Ki-yoon, the People Power Party candidate for mayor of Changwon, is shaking hands with supporters.
[Photo by Kang Ki-yoon Election Committee]

In a statement, the committee said, “As the local elections approach their final stage and the conservative bloc in Changwon solidifies, Democratic Party candidate Song Soon-ho and hastily formed pro-Democratic Party civic groups are colluding to deceive Changwon citizens with politically motivated false agitation and slander. We strongly denounce these vile acts, which are turning what should be a fair electoral festival into a mudslinging contest and clouding the wise judgment of voters.”

The campaign committee first rebutted the claim by Gyeongnam Political Reform Plaza Civic Solidarity that Kang Ki-yoon’s remarks during a rally at Masan Station on May 22—saying “We are ahead by over 20% in the Hoehyeon District”—were based on a fictitious poll, stating that the comment was, in fact, grounded in actual data.

The committee cited a May 7 poll by Kyongnam Shinmun, which showed Kang Ki-yoon leading in Masan Hoehyeon District with 52.5%, compared to Democratic Party candidate Song Soon-ho’s 32.6%—an overwhelming gap of 19.9 percentage points. The committee argued that describing this as a “roughly 20% lead” to help citizens understand the numbers during the campaign cannot reasonably be construed as poll distortion or the dissemination of false information.

Additionally, the committee criticized the group for distorting Kang’s statement “I have no such criminal record,” as if he were hiding a criminal history. The committee clarified that this was said in direct response to the opposing candidate’s repeated convictions for violent crimes, emphasizing that Kang meant “I have no criminal record of that kind,” and that this context was clear.

The committee went on to say, “Candidate Song, as a member of the Masan City Council in December 2009, assaulted a public official, causing irreparable harm to the victim. As a provincial councilor, he insulted a colleague and pushed them off the podium, resulting in a criminal fine. With four convictions, including two for violent crimes, Song’s shameful past is being deliberately distorted by cutting context and nitpicking words to slander Kang, which is an insult to the citizens of Changwon.”

The committee further criticized Civic Solidarity for filing a police complaint regarding alleged pre-election campaigning by Kang during his tenure as CEO of Korea South-East Power, calling it an utterly baseless farce.

The committee stated, “This matter had already been thoroughly investigated by the National Election Commission, which found no grounds for election law violations and did not even refer the case for further investigation. Legally, it was completely concluded as ‘no suspicion.’ To resurrect this already-settled and unfounded issue at the end of the campaign and threaten to sue is nothing but a deceptive act to mislead voters.”

The committee also demanded an end to what it called a shallow political stunt of nitpicking over the cancellation of the scheduled “three-steps-one-bow” ritual, which had to be called off due to scheduling issues.

“At a press conference on the 28th, candidate Song Soon-ho criticized Kang for canceling the ritual due to unavoidable scheduling conflicts, calling it ‘a political show that mocks the citizens’ and making childish accusations,” the committee said. “Song’s attempt to exploit even the slightest scheduling adjustment for political gain only reveals his deep anxiety and sense of crisis as conservative unity accelerates.”

The committee announced it would file charges of false accusation (mugojwe) against those maliciously filing false reports, ensuring they face the full force of the law, and requested that the judiciary and National Election Commission swiftly and strictly investigate the false accusations and fraudulent actions of such hastily organized civic groups, which disrupt public sentiment in the final days of the campaign.

The committee appealed, “The only way to overcome false agitation and fake news is through wise voting. We urge voters to sternly judge the incompetent forces who resort to slander and black propaganda at the ballot box.”

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