Lee: "Fake News Disrupts Society... Government Attacked Over 'Rifle' False Article"

President Lee Jae-myung, Second Half Work Report on July 15
Suggests the Ministry of Data and Statistics Could Also Analyze Fake News

On July 15, President Lee Jae-myung criticized media coverage regarding the adoption of rifles, stating, "Fake news is creating hostile problems to the extent that it is disrupting the entire world and destroying communities."

During the "2026 Second Half Ministry Work Report" held at the Blue House State Guest House that day, President Lee made these remarks following a briefing from Ahn Hyung-joon, Director of the Ministry of Data and Statistics. Director Ahn announced plans to establish a system that would automatically identify and compare news articles misquoting statistics using artificial intelligence (AI) for verification.

President Lee Jae-myung is attentively listening to the ministry's briefing at the Blue House State Guest House on July 15, 2026. Photo by Yonhap News

President Lee pointed out, "There are even media outlets publishing front-page stories claiming that South Korea's rifles are cheap, outdated models, while the President alone boasts of having an expensive, state-of-the-art rifle. In reality, this firearm has been widely distributed and is almost universal among the 170,000 service members of the Republic of Korea Army."

On June 24, during his visit to the Marine Corps Yeonpyeong Unit, President Lee used a K2C1 rifle equipped with an optical sight and target designator. Chosun Ilbo reported that most rifles supplied to the field were older K2 models unable to accommodate additional equipment. In response, the Ministry of National Defense clarified in a statement that about 170,000 of these rifles had been issued.

President Lee added, "If it were possible to fact-check such erroneous articles attacking the government immediately, these incidents would not happen. It seems feasible to use a system to instantly analyze falsehoods and provide counterarguments based on facts." He continued, "The problem of fake news is happening everywhere, including YouTube. The Ministry of Data and Statistics should also play a role in responding to disruptions of social order."

Additionally, President Lee remarked, "I briefly considered elevating the Ministry of Data and Statistics to a ministerial-level agency. The ministry’s role carries special significance as it covers a new domain that no one has previously handled." He urged, "Do not rely on conventions or examples from other countries, but continuously create exemplary cases."

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