As the Democratic Party of Korea asked police to investigate an "assassination post" on social media targeting leader Jung Chung-rae, a similar post also appeared in a social media group chat of supporters of President Lee Jae-myung.
On the 17th, senior spokesperson Kang Joon-hyun of the Democratic Party of Korea held an emergency news conference at the National Assembly and said, "Reports are pouring in that collective terror plots are being made in social media group chats of unknown origin, with posts such as 'let's kill Jung Chung-rae' and 'recruiting a Jung Chung-rae assassination squad.'" The party the previous day asked the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency to investigate the posts.
In political circles, from the morning, screenshots of "assassination posts" in social media group chats targeting leader Jung have been spreading. At the top of the group chat is the phrase, "Our room is for supporters of Lee Jae-myung and at the same time…"
In the group chat are posts such as "applying to join the Cheol-lae assassination squad" and "recruiting for the Cheol-lae assassination squad." The circumstances are similar to what senior spokesperson Kang mentioned.
The party has not yet disclosed concrete corroborating evidence. Regarding the tips, senior spokesperson Kang said, "Some parts have been confirmed, but specifics will emerge as we watch the investigation," adding, "Given the nature of using IDs, it is difficult to conclusively identify a particular region or group."
If the posts Kang referenced are the same as those spreading in political circles, it would appear to be a case of internal conflict among Democratic Party supporters, sparked during the local election nomination process, surfacing. Disputes between the pro-Lee (pro–Lee Jae-myung) faction and the pro–Jung Chung-rae faction over nominations such as the North Jeolla governor race show little sign of resolution.