During the last 21st presidential election, a man who allegedly impersonated a foreign media reporter and followed the campaign schedule of Lee Jun-seok, then-candidate of the Reform Party, deceived domestic media reporters and has been booked by the police.
According to the police on the 24th, the Jongno Police Station in Seoul received a complaint on the 2nd against a man in his 30s surnamed Kim, who is facing charges of fraud. The complaint states that Kim introduced himself to domestic reporters and officials of the Reform Party as a graduate of Harvard University in the United States. He also presented a forged business card claiming to work as a reporter at a Korean branch of a U.S. media company. On major internet portal sites, he posted an introduction stating that he worked at a tech corporation in the U.S. after graduating from Harvard.
Kim followed almost all of the candidate's campaign schedules, building relationships with officials from the Reform Party and reporters. In the process, he encouraged surrounding reporters to switch jobs to the foreign media outlet he claimed to be working for.
He asked some reporters for identification and bank account copies to send to the U.S. headquarters. During this process, domestic reporters, feeling suspicious, confirmed with the Korean branch of the foreign media outlet, revealing that Kim had lied.
Some reporters who received Kim's suggestion reportedly submitted resignation letters to their current media companies. It is also said that some even lent him money at his request.
Kim requested an interview with Lee Jun-seok, then-presidential candidate, but it is reported that Lee did not respond.
The Jongno Police Station received the complaint and completed basic investigations before transferring the case to the Jungnang Police Station, where the suspect's address is located, on the 18th. Jungnang Police is currently reviewing the case.