Buan County Governor Kwon Ik-hyun faces criticism over police decision

The civic group Buan Plaza 2.0 has criticized the police decision not to forward charges against Buan County Governor Kwon Ik-hyun regarding allegations of spreading false information under the Public Official Election Act.

The controversy stems from a press release distributed during a Democratic Party primary, which falsely claimed that National Assembly member Lee Won-taek attended a campaign event and supported Kwon’s third term. While the police referred the campaign manager to the prosecution, they decided not to pursue charges against Kwon, citing his claim that he was not briefed on the press release.

Buan Plaza 2.0 argues that the police failed to distinguish between whether Kwon was briefed on the press release and his subsequent act of posting the same false information on his personal Facebook page for a week. The group has demanded that the police disclose the specific grounds for their decision to ensure transparency and election fairness.