Police have decided not to forward election law violation charges against Lee Jun-seok, leader of the Reform Party, over allegations that political broker Myung Tae-kyun paid for polling costs on his behalf, authorities confirmed Wednesday.
The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's Public Crime Investigation Unit announced it made a "no charges found" decision on Lee's alleged violation of the Public Official Election Act for publishing false information on November 25 and did not forward the case to prosecutors.
In the investigation results notice, police stated that "it is difficult to conclude that the suspect directly commissioned the polling from Future Korea Research Institute." Since presidential candidate suitability was the core survey item, investigators determined the poll was not conducted solely for Lee's benefit and that he appears to have received the results unilaterally under the circumstances. Police also found no objective evidence existed regarding whether Lee knew about the alleged payment arrangement.
Lee was reported to authorities by a civic group after stating at a policy forum in April that he "never received polling from Myung's side nor was involved in any payment allegations." Previously, allegations emerged that Lee received polling data from Myung during the 2021 People Power Party leadership primary race, with the costs allegedly paid by a person surnamed Bae who was seeking to run for Goryeong County chief.
Police are continuing their investigation into political funds law violation allegations against Lee, who was also reported for that charge. The investigation is expected to focus on the flow of funds between Myung, Bae, and Lee, as well as whether the arrangement constituted quid pro quo for party nomination.
