The People Power Party on Monday filed a police complaint against Choo Mi-ae, the Democratic Party's candidate for Gyeonggi Province governor, alleging she spread false information during a televised debate while addressing suspicions surrounding her son's military service.
The Clean Election Headquarters of the People Power Party's Central Election Committee said in a press release that it had "filed a complaint with the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency against candidate Choo on charges of publishing false information under the Public Official Election Act." The headquarters explained that "during the Gyeonggi gubernatorial candidates' TV debate hosted by the Election Broadcasting Debate Commission on May 27, candidate Choo, when asked about suspicions related to her son's military service, stated to the effect that '(the case involving her son) was closed with no charges.'"
The headquarters continued, "Upon verification, the case is in a state of suspension of indictment, which is not a closure of investigation but rather a temporary halt of investigation due to circumstances such as the suspect's whereabouts being unknown." It pointed out that "packaging this as a closure with no charges is a clear false statement that misleads voters' choices." The headquarters added, "As providing accurate information about candidates is a fundamental principle of fair elections, we urge a thorough investigation to uncover the truth."
Earlier, at the TV debate on May 27, Choo had responded to allegations that her son, while serving in KATUSA (Korean Augmentation to the United States Army), extended his completed medical leave through contact from her aide, as well as suspicions raised by People Power Party candidate Yang Hyang-ja that there was favor-seeking in the selection of interpreter soldiers for the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics. Choo had offered explanations such as "all are baseless claims that constitute defamation" and "a matter that has already been concluded with no charges."
