Arrest warrant for a journalist, while pre-election tensions grow
The reporter, whose identity has not been released, is accused of obstructing the Election Commission with an article claiming that 99 Chinese spies had been moved from South Korea to Japan after former President Yoon declared martial law. The affair reflects the tense climate of the presidential election campaign. Meanwhile, the leader of the Democratic Party Lee Jae-myung continues to be ahead in the polls.
Seoul (AsiaNews) – South Korean police have requested an arrest warrant for a journalist who shared false information following the proclamation of martial law by former President Yoon Suk-yeol.
The reporter, whose identity has not been disclosed, penned an article claiming that 99 Chinese spies had been arrested on the day Yoon suspended civilian rule.
Citing anonymous US intelligence sources, the journalist said that the spies had been arrested in a facility linked to the National Election Commission and then transferred to a US military base in Okinawa, Japan.
The reporter is accused of obstructing the NEC's official duties by publishing a false article that interfered with its work.
The NEC, US forces and international news agencies dismissed the story, but it continued to circulate online, fuelling several conspiracy theories and polarising South Korean society, as the next presidential election to choose Yoon's successor approaches.
South Koreans living abroad began to vote today, embassy officials said. Some 258,000 voters have six days to cast their ballot in 118 countries, while in South Korea, people will be able to vote on 3 June.
Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) released a video message inviting South Koreans abroad to vote. “In a democratic republic, power is determined by people's votes, yet many choose to abstain from voting," he said, stressing that a vote is "stronger than a bullet."
The latest public opinion polls give Lee a strong lead. According to Realmeter, he is ahead with 50.2 per cent. Kim Moon-so, who is running for the People's Power Party (PPP), is stuck at 35.6 per cent, while Lee Jun-seok of the Reform Party comes in third with 8.7 per cent.
Recently, Lee Jun-seok, who founded the party after leaving the PPP, said he would not throw his support behind the PPP. This is yet another sign of a further split within the PPP, where some of the leading members are increasingly moving towards far-right positions.
Regarding the possibility of merging the Reform Party candidacy with the PPPs, Lee replied, during an interview with local SBS radio that “The process and procedure itself would appear very old-fashioned, so I have no intention of doing it whatsoever”.
The Reform Party leader noted that he would not reconsider his decision even if former President Yoon's top aides apologised: “I have never set such preconditions, nor do I expect an apology”.
Noting that Kim Moon-so has no chance of beating the DPK at present, he added: “Unless we garner votes from the youth and bring down Lee Jae-myung's approval ratings from above the 45 per cent range, all else is meaningless.”
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12/02/2016 15:14
28/09/2017 09:32
