On March 10, Jeon Sang-in, a parliamentary aide to a National Assembly member and a preliminary candidate for Okcheon County governor representing the People Power Party, said he filed a mediation request with the Press Arbitration Commission and a review petition with the Korea Communications Standards Commission against a specific broadcaster.
Jeon accused the outlet of airing an anonymous tip as an “exclusive” without verifying the underlying material, warning that if the tip was supplied to influence the election and target a particular candidate, “this is more than a media ethics issue.”
He rejected the report’s central claim—that campaign staff transported attendees by car and provided meals—as “completely false,” saying he had personally called the reporter to request fact-checking, which the outlet ignored before publishing the story.
Jeon also noted the story aired 11 days after the event, arguing the timing suggested an intent to erode the positive local response to the candidate’s book-launch event and to undermine public trust ahead of the election.
In his filings, he demanded that the broadcaster immediately run a correction in the same time slot and format for the March 9, 2026 broadcast titled “[Exclusive] Transported by car and even provided meals?…Controversy over election law violations by Okcheon County governor preliminary candidate.”
He also demanded that the broadcaster air a rebuttal with equal prominence to the original report.
Jeon said the respondents should be held jointly liable for damages, including defamation, reputational harm to his campaign, interference with campaign activities, and emotional distress.
He added that he will seek a court order to preserve evidence and, after verifying the origin and veracity of the anonymous tip, will consider filing criminal charges if warranted.
