President Lee: "On the mob ties allegations, reflection and an apology are needed... I want to hear at least one 'I'm sorry'"

[The Financial News] President Lee Jae Myung has publicly demanded an apology from the current affairs program "Unanswered Questions" on Seoul Broadcasting System (SBS), which in 2021 reported on the so-called allegations of his links to organized crime during the presidential election campaign.
On the 20th, Lee wrote on X (formerly Twitter), "I am curious whether Unanswered Questions, which created the allegations of Lee Jae Myung's ties to organized crime, will readily issue a follow-up report and, if so, what it will say."
He continued, "Thanks to the Unanswered Questions producer's 'miraculous logic' and the realistic acting of Kim Sang-joong, I was suddenly portrayed even as a murderous gangster," adding, "This broadcast appears to have been one element of a broader campaign to eliminate me, involving physical attacks, manufactured legal risks through the prosecution service, and media-driven efforts to damage my image."
He went on, "After this broadcast, they said they would produce a follow-up program, and for several months they used the show to solicit tips from the entire nation and sent a large reporting team to comb every corner of Seongnam City. I wonder whether there was even a single tip that amounted to anything at all," and asked, "If there had been even the tiniest shred of something usable, is it really believable that they would not have aired a follow-up report?"
Lee stressed, "To prevent a repeat of politically motivated attempts to bury a person in a grave of lies, there must be reflection and an apology from the People Power Party (PPP), which fabricated and spread the allegations, and from programs like Unanswered Questions that aired such fabricated reports."
He added, "It may be asking too much, but I would like to hear at least one sincere word: 'I'm sorry.'"
Meanwhile, the suspended prison sentence has been finalized for Jang Young-ha, the People Power Party Seongnam Sujeong District Party Committee Chair who was brought to trial after raising the allegations of President Lee's links to organized crime.
On the 12th, the Supreme Court of Korea upheld a lower court ruling that sentenced Jang to one year in prison, suspended for two years, for announcing false information in violation of the Public Official Election Act.

cjk@fnnews.com Choi Jong-geun Reporter