South Korea’s presidential office on Wednesday denied an opposition lawmaker’s claim that President Lee Jae-myung is being briefed on the special counsel investigation into the National Election Commission.
The claim by People Power Party lawmaker Joo Jin-woo followed Lee’s decision to post a classified document on social media platform X that morning, a photo that also revealed a truncated line referring to the special counsel’s work.
“The president being briefed on the investigation situation of the special counsel on the election commission is not true,” the Blue House said in a media notice, expressing regret over what it called an inaccurate claim by Joo.
The presidential office said the briefing Lee received was based on a National Police Agency security situation report stating that the special counsel had postponed its verification of ballot papers inside the handball stadium at Olympic Park, resolving concerns about friction with rally participants, and had nothing to do with the investigation itself.
On the leak of the classified document, the Blue House said regulation of such disclosures is limited to the discipline of presidential staff, and that there is no problem at all with the president directly conveying information helpful to the public.
Lee had posted a photo titled “daily comprehensive situation report” highlighting results of the integrated voice phishing response unit. The document said voice phishing damage in August stood at 25.7 billion won, the lowest since January 2023, when it was also 25.7 billion won, according to the Chosun Ilbo. Lee asked the public to praise officials at the police, the Financial Services Commission and the National Intelligence Service, and noted voice phishing calls had fallen sharply.
At the bottom of the photo, a cut-off line read “election commission special counsel, ballot papers inside the handball stadium at Olympic Park...”.
Joo wrote on Facebook that the truncated section had been “caught by mistake” and called it “strong direct evidence” of collusion with or surveillance of the special counsel. He described it as “a clear crime and constitutional violation that destroys the political neutrality of the election commission special counsel” and demanded the immediate release of the full document.