Jung Cheong-rae, a candidate for the leadership of the Democratic Party, announced on August 11 that he has received reports alleging that Jeon Jin-sook's local committee in the North District of Gwangju, Jeollanam-do, operated an illegal phone room for campaign activities and promised monetary rewards to campaign workers.
Jung's camp released a recording during a press announcement, which reportedly features a voice from Jeon's office. In the recording, a party member says, "Make sure to receive your payment," to which the response is, "Understood."
According to Article 57-3 of the Public Official Election Act, campaign activities must adhere to legally prescribed methods. Additionally, Article 255, Section 2, Clause 3 of the same act stipulates penalties of up to two years in prison or fines of up to 4 million won for election misconduct.
In response, Jeon Jin-sook's camp expressed regret over what they described as Jung's reckless behavior in distorting facts to portray voluntary service as a criminal act. They stated, "The young person mentioned in the recording is a pure volunteer who participated without compensation," adding that the claim of monetary rewards is a distortion stemming from leading questions.
They further asserted, "Voluntary campaign activities conducted through personal mobile phones do not constitute an illegal phone room," and urged an immediate cessation of baseless accusations and media manipulation. They emphasized, "Jung's camp should stop this petty smear campaign and engage in a fair competition."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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