Hong Ik-pyo, senior presidential secretary for political affairs, on the 13th called the so-called "prosecution cancellation transaction theory" controversy "a very inappropriate piece of fake news that could undermine public trust in the government," he said.
Hong said on KBS 1TV's "Sasageon-geon" that, because "Kim Ou-joon's News Factory," where the allegation aired, is registered as a media outlet, he thinks appropriate probes will likely be conducted.
Initially, Hong said about the body that would handle the probe, "I think the Broadcasting Media Communications Deliberation Committee (BMCDC) will conduct an investigation," but later the presidential office's political affairs office corrected via a notice that the responsible body is not the BMCDC but the Press Arbitration Commission.
The political affairs office explained, "In the case of the so-called 'prosecution cancellation' controversy, it is subject to arbitration under the Act on Press Arbitration and Remedies, so we correct Hong's remarks." It is interpreted that the presidential office regarded "Kim Ou-joon's 'Humility Is Hard News Factory,'" which raised the prosecution cancellation transaction theory, as an online media outlet governed by the Act on Press Arbitration and Remedies.
Regarding the controversy, Hong said, "It's so absurd that I don't know how to respond, and I'm busy with work, so I don't have the time to respond to every baseless claim," adding, "I said the Democratic Party of Korea should handle it, and I understand that Representative Jung Chung-rae expressed a strong position after checking the facts."
The controversy began when Jang In-soo, a former MBC reporter, appeared on Kim Ou-joon's YouTube on the 10th and claimed that "a senior government official who can only be seen as President Lee Jae-myung's closest aide asked prosecutors to cancel the indictment."