President Lee Jae Myung holds a virtual meeting with senior advisers at a hotel in Rome, Italy, on June 14, 2026. (courtesy Blue House)
Korean President Lee Jae Myung condemned rumors about election fraud during a virtual meeting with senior secretaries and advisers on Sunday.“Spreading false claims that the election results were fabricated is anti-social behavior, a distraction from the actual issues and an insult to decent citizens trying to voice their opinion,” Lee said.“There’s an issue that jumps out at me whenever I look into this,” the Korean president said during the meeting, which he attended remotely from the Vatican during his tour of Europe. “As you all know, this is an issue of a violation of political rights. The right to participate in the political process is the foundation of democracy, and it’s dismaying and disconcerting that something like this could have happened,” he said.Lee went on: “While we acknowledge the legitimate issues Koreans have raised about political rights, some groups have been taking advantage of that to circulate absurd conspiracy theories.”“It’s undeniable that this incident resulted from the National Election Commission’s shoddy handling of the election. That has left a serious blemish on Korea’s international prestige built on our democratic system, cutting-edge industries and cultural output,” Lee said.This was the first time a Korean president has held a virtual meeting with senior aides while traveling overseas.Lee ordered that firm action be taken against election deniers who have endangered people’s safety.“Some of the people spreading these claims [about election fraud] have attacked police officers on the scene and threatened bystanders. I understand they’ve searched people’s bags without authorization and prevented employees from going to work. They certainly need to be held responsible according to laws and principles,” the Korean president said.“There are some rules that must be obeyed in all our actions, among which laws and regulations are perhaps the most salient,” he said.“If this regrettable incident of violations of political rights is to be treated as an opportunity to strengthen our democracy and popular sovereignty, healthy criticism needs to be paired with constructive alternatives. To make that possible, we must waste no time in carrying out a complete and transparent investigation.”
