People Power Party Daejeon Branch Files Police Complaint Against Mayor Heo Taejeong and Five District Heads

"Legal Review Needed on Whether YouTube Election Ads Are Permitted"

Photo by The People Power Party Daejeon Metropolitan City Party Headquarters

The People Power Party Daejeon City Branch filed a complaint with the Daejeon Metropolitan Police Agency on July 21, accusing Daejeon Mayor Heo Tae-jeong and all five district heads from the Democratic Party of Korea in Daejeon of violating both the Public Official Election Act and the Political Funds Act.

The individuals named in the complaint are Mayor Heo Tae-jeong, Hwang In-ho (Dong-gu District Head), Kim Je-seon (Jung-gu District Head), Jeon Moon-hak (Seo-gu District Head), Jeong Yong-rae (Yuseong-gu District Head), and Kim Chan-sul (Daedeok-gu District Head).

The People Power Party Daejeon City Branch asserted, "On May 21, which was the official first day of the June 3 local elections, a joint campaign advertisement video—approximately one minute long—featuring the names and party affiliations of these six individuals was posted on a specific media outlet's YouTube channel. At the end of the video, all six candidates were listed as sponsors."

The party branch pointed out that, under the current Public Official Election Act, candidates' online campaign advertisements are required to be posted on the official websites of internet news organizations.

The branch emphasized that, in the case of YouTube—an external platform operated by a third party—even if the channel is operated by a news outlet, a strict legal review is needed to determine whether paid campaign advertising on such a platform falls within the legally permitted scope for online election advertisements.

They also called for a thorough investigation into the handling of campaign advertising expenses. The branch stressed that it is essential to determine the details of advertising contracts between each candidate and the media outlet, the amount each candidate contributed to the advertising costs and whether those amounts were actually paid, and whether these expenditures were properly reflected in campaign finance and political funds accounting reports.

A representative of The People Power Party Daejeon City Branch stated, "If candidates failed to pay the advertising costs they were responsible for, or if related costs were omitted or understated in reports to the National Election Commission, this could constitute violations of the Public Official Election Act and the Political Funds Act. Our complaint was filed to ensure campaign activities occur under fair and transparent rules, and we urge the investigative authorities to conduct a prompt and rigorous investigation."

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