DP in turmoil over directive banning use of past images, videos of Lee by local election candidates
Published: 09 Apr. 2026, 16:04
Updated: 10 Apr. 2026, 16:34
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- MICHAEL LEE
- [email protected]
Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI
![President Lee Jae Myung speaks at a meeting at the Blue House in Jongno District, central Seoul, on April 9. [YONHAP]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2026/04/10/ce26f095-be7c-493b-872e-e650b74a2bc4.jpg)
President Lee Jae Myung speaks at a meeting at the Blue House in Jongno District, central Seoul, on April 9. [YONHAP]
Confusion is deepening within the ruling Democratic Party (DP) over a leadership directive that bans the use of past images and videos of President Lee Jae Myung by the party’s candidates in campaign materials ahead of the June 3 local government elections.
Lee ordered an internal inspection on Wednesday into claims that the directive had been issued by the Blue House in a Telegram group chat involving 60 senior aides, according to officials familiar with the matter who spoke to the JoongAng Ilbo.
The controversy traces back to a notice sent on Saturday to DP primary candidates, which informed them that they are “strictly prohibited from using past footage of the president in promotional materials to suggest that he is endorsing a specific candidate or from utilizing old photos as if they were taken recently.”
The notice was issued under the name of the DP’s chief spokesperson, Jo Seoung-lae.
Lee rebuked party leaders during a meeting on Wednesday after a media outlet reported that the notice had been issued “at the request of the Blue House.”
“Attributing a misguided directive by party leaders to the Blue House not only constitutes interference in state affairs but also political abuse,” he said.
The DP, for its part, explained that the guideline was prompted by cases in which candidates appeared to suggest that they had the president’s backing by using past images of Lee.
In one instance, a mayoral primary candidate in Chungju, North Chungcheong, posted a video of Lee’s visit to a traditional market in the city three years ago — during which he encouraged the candidate — which party leaders said could be misconstrued as the president’s current support.
![Democratic Party leader Jung Chung-rae visits a market in Yeosu, South Jeolla, on April 9. [NEWS1]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2026/04/10/329a96f9-aa1c-4454-a779-8c150961386f.jpg)
Democratic Party leader Jung Chung-rae visits a market in Yeosu, South Jeolla, on April 9. [NEWS1]
Due to the growing controversy over the directive, DP leader Jung Chung-rae offered clarification on Tuesday.
“If a congratulatory message delivered to a candidate before Lee became president is mistaken as one that was delivered after he became president, it could cause significant harm to the party,” he said.
The president’s order for an internal probe has also inflamed tensions between different factions within the party.
“Those responsible for trying to present an order that did not come from the president as his directive must be held accountable,” said DP Supreme Council member Kang Deuk-gu in a post on Facebook. Kang is widely considered a member of the anti-Jung faction within the DP.
Another Supreme Council member, Lee Eon-ju, also questioned the origin of the directive.
“Who fabricated and spread such an absurd order if no one actually issued the directive?” she asked in a separate Facebook post.
Senior party figures close to Lee are trying to move the DP and Blue House past the controversy.
“It would be unrealistic to remove images that have already been posted,” said Rep. Park Chan-dae, who served as the DP’s floor leader while Lee Jae Myung helmed the party, in an interview with CBS Radio on Thursday.
![Incheon mayoral candidate Rep. Park Chan-dae, left, speaks to Seoul mayoral candidate Rep. Park Ju-min at a restaurant in Yeouido, western Seoul, on March 20. [YONHAP]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2026/04/10/5c625c9e-739e-4e95-ad59-07a3b1b27cc9.jpg)
Incheon mayoral candidate Rep. Park Chan-dae, left, speaks to Seoul mayoral candidate Rep. Park Ju-min at a restaurant in Yeouido, western Seoul, on March 20. [YONHAP]
Park, now running in the Incheon mayoral race, added that “while both the party and the Blue House share the goal of ensuring the success of the Lee Jae Myung administration, gaps in communication should be carefully navigated.”
Rep. Kim Young-jin echoed that view, noting that candidates in the 2014 and 2018 local elections had seen others freely use images of former President Moon Jae-in, in an interview with MBC Radio that same day.
He suggested the directive’s intent “was to prevent excessive misuse, but that its wording — extending broadly to photos and videos — has caused confusion among candidates nationwide.”
Jo, for his part, pushed back against criticism in a phone interview with the JoongAng Ilbo.
“This is not a blanket ban on using images or videos of [the president],” he said. “It is meant to prevent materials that could be misinterpreted as showing the sitting president endorsing a particular candidate.”
He added that the directive was issued based on the party’s own judgment and was not coordinated with the Blue House.
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 KANG BO-HYUN, MICHAEL LEE [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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