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President Lee urges SBS to apologize for report linking him to criminal gang

Published: 20 Mar. 2026, 13:45

President Lee Jae Myung speaks at a meeting with senior presidential aides at the Blue House in Seoul on March 19, 2026. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

President Lee Jae Myung on Friday urged a major broadcaster to apologize and publish a follow-up report over past allegations linking him to a criminal gang after a top court ruling found related claims to be false.

Lee pressed SBS and its long-running investigative program “Unanswered Questions” (1992-) to issue a follow-up report publicly on X. He has frequently used social media to outline policy positions and respond to political opponents, often linking to specific reports to criticize coverage he disputes.

“I wonder whether ‘Unanswered Questions,’ which created the Lee Jae Myung organized crime allegation, will readily produce a follow-up report, and if so, what it will contain," he wrote.

The program aired a report in July 2018, shortly after Lee won the Gyeonggi governorship, raising suspicions of ties between Lee and a criminal organization based in Seongnam, where Lee served as mayor from 2010 to 2018.

Lee criticized the broadcast, saying it had portrayed him as a violent criminal.

“Thanks to [the program] producer’s miraculous logic and Kim Sang-joong’s realistic narration, I was suddenly portrayed as a murderous gangster," he said. Kim is the show’s presenter.

The president said the report formed part of a broader effort to damage him politically, citing what he described as physical threats, legal risks driven by prosecutors and media attacks on his image.

The title of SBS's investigative program ″Unanswered Questions″ (1992-) is shown in this image from the TV show's Facebook page. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Lee also questioned whether any evidence had emerged from the program’s reporting process, which included months of tip collection and extensive fieldwork.

“If there had been even the slightest piece of evidence, they would not have failed to produce a follow-up report.”

He called for an apology from those involved, including the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) and the program.

“To prevent burying people in a grave of falsehoods for political purposes from happening again, those who fabricated and spread these claims, including the PPP and programs like ‘Unanswered Questions,’ must reflect and apologize.”

“It may be asking too much, but I would like to hear a sincere apology.”

Jang Young-ha speaks at a press conference at the People Power Party's headquarters in Yeouido, western Seoul, on May 18, 2025. [LIM HYUN-DONG]

In 2021, attorney Jang Young-ha, who represented Park Cheol-min, a member of the Seongnam-based faction whose name translates to "International Mafia," alleged that Lee received about 2 billion won ($1.3 million) in exchange for business favors while serving as mayor.

Prosecutors indicted Jang on charges of spreading false information, and the Supreme Court upheld his guilty verdict on March 12.

The Blue House on Thursday asked media outlets that reported the allegations to publish follow-up reports, citing a court ruling finding the claims false.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY JEONG HYE-JEONG [[email protected]]