Lee Jae-myung’s wife photo found to be false

Nov 17, 2021, 08:36 am

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DP Rep. Lee Hae-sik (left) holds a press conference on the details of the injury of Kim Hye-kyung, wife of presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung, at the National Assembly Communication Hall on Nov. 12, 2021./ Source: National Assembly Press Corps

AsiaToday reporter Chun Hyun-bin

An alleged photo of Kim Hye-kyung, wife of the ruling Democratic Party’s presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung, was eventually found to be false. However, things that were out of the essence drew attention rather than verifying the qualifications of candidates and checking their pledges.

On November 5, a media outlet The Fact published an alleged photo of a person in all-black outfit, claiming that the person was Kim Hye-kyung in disguise going out after her injury. The media outlet on Tuesday removed the news after admitting that it was wrong news. “The person we believed to be Kim Hye-kyung was confirmed to be an attendant,” it said.

“We had five reporters at the scene. One of the party was named Kim Hye-kyung, but as a result, it was wrong,” the editor-in-chief of The Fact said in a phone interview with AsiaToday. “We will publish a correction.”

Lee Jae-myung’s side has been denying the report since Monday night. They claimed that the person was an attendant. On Tuesday, DP Rep. Lee Hae-sik said, “After verification at the camp, the person in question was not revealed to be the candidate’s spouse, but we are being harmed by fake news.” Rep. Lee added that a woman in the khaki coat appeared in the other photos of The Fact was Lee’s wife.

The news about Kim Hye-kyung had been at the center of the topic for two days due to the photo. Many comments were posted on online communities, with comments such as, “Why did Kim go out like that?”, “It seems something really happened,” and more.

Ahead of the presidential election, the fake news controversy involving Kim Hye-kyung has put the political circle in turmoil. Political observers point out that local issues are being stressed too much rather than candidates’ pledges. “The ineffective battle that seem to miss the point is intensifying,” a first-term lawmaker said in a phone interview with AsiaToday. “I am concerned that the public will also fee inflamed by such a fruitless battle.”

Lee’s camp once said that it would take legal action as the controversy did not seem to cool down.

#Lee Jae-myung #fake news #Kim Hye-kyung #The Fact