On the 6th, People Power Party lawmaker Joo Jin-woo will file a police complaint against Presidential Office Spokesperson Kang Yu-jung and Democratic Party of Korea chief spokesperson Park Soo-hyun over their clash regarding President Lee Jae-myung's appearance on JTBC's variety program "Please Take Care of My Refrigerator."
Joo's side plans to submit a complaint to the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency around 3 p.m. that day accusing Spokesperson Kang and chief spokesperson Park of defamation by alleging false facts.
Joo argued, "The accused (Spokesperson Kang and chief spokesperson Park) gave a shameless, blame-shifting false briefing intended to conceal from the public the timing of the 'Please Take Care of My Refrigerator' variety shoot, saying, 'Joo's claim that it was filmed after the National Information Resources Service (NIRS) fire is false.'"
He went on to say, "When the president stepped in front of the camera (around 12:00 on the 28th), 647 networks and 436 public services were down due to the NIRS fire, creating an unprecedented situation that punched holes in finance, logistics, immigration control, and quarantine."
Joo added, "The Presidential Office knew well that a variety shoot was inappropriate, which is why it even threatened legal action to hide the filming date, and it was only two days after I disclosed additional evidence that they confessed," adding, "This goes beyond merely defaming Joo; it is an attempt to gag an opposition lawmaker by deceiving the public and using power to threaten with complaints, so we are responding firmly."
Joo also wrote on Facebook on the 3rd, "Judging from a community post and photos uploaded at 2:44 p.m. on Sept. 28, a large police force was deployed to JTBC—clearly for security," adding, "At the very least, one can infer that filming for 'Please Take Care of My Refrigerator' took place around that time."
The Democratic Party of Korea immediately signaled it would file a complaint. Democratic Party of Korea chief spokesperson Park Soo-hyun issued a commentary the day before, saying, "We express strong regret toward the People Power Party, which is engaging in smear tactics against the president with falsehoods even during Chuseok, and the Democratic Party of Korea will immediately file a complaint against Joo."
Chief spokesperson Park said, "While the Presidential Office has fully clarified all the facts regarding the presidential couple's TV appearance, the People Power Party is still ramping up political attacks," adding, "Just because the People Power Party fabricates the 48-hour suspicions does not make falsehoods become truth. Stop the distortions and the behavior that seeks to incite national confusion."
Spokesperson Kang also said in a written briefing on the 3rd, "We express strong regret that forced suspicions have been raised to turn a national crisis into political strife," adding, "We are considering legal action."