A photo taken at a restaurant in Mapo-gu, Seoul, on March 18, 2024. From left: Lee Jae Myung, then Democratic Party of Korea leader; Lee Hee-ja, chairwoman of the Korean Geunwoo Association; and Rep. Jung Chung-rae. [Captured from Rep. Kim Yong's Facebook]
A photo taken at a restaurant in Mapo-gu, Seoul, on March 18, 2024. From left: Lee Jae Myung, then Democratic Party of Korea leader; Lee Hee-ja, chairwoman of the Korean Geunwoo Association; and Rep. Jung Chung-rae. [Captured from Rep. Kim Yong's Facebook]

A figure aligned with Democratic Party of Korea leadership candidate Jung Chung-rae is facing backlash after airing a cropped version of a photo — one that removed Jung from the frame — to suggest that President Lee Jae Myung had ties to Shincheonji, amid an ongoing investigation into the religious group's alleged political influence.

Lee Ji-eun, the party chapter head for Seoul's Mapo-gap district, appeared on Park Si-young TV, a pro-ruling-party YouTube channel, on July 23 and displayed a photo showing only President Lee and Lee Hee-ja, chairwoman of the Korean Geunwoo Association. "If a group photo taken with the chairwoman at an official event is enough to claim that Jung Chung-rae and Shincheonji are connected, doesn't this photo also mean the president is linked to them?" she said.

According to political sources Monday, the photo at the center of the controversy was first released by a Geunwoo Association official. It was taken at a restaurant in Mapo-gu, Seoul, on March 18, 2024, ahead of the 22nd general election.

Lee Hee-ja has been questioned as a suspect by the joint investigation task force probing allegations of collusion between religious and political circles, on suspicion of acting as a go-between for Shincheonji and the political establishment.

The original photo, however, shows three people: Lee Jae Myung, then the Democratic Party leader; Lee Hee-ja; and Rep. Jung Chung-rae.

Park Si-young TV aired a version with Jung removed, showing only President Lee and Lee Hee-ja standing side by side.

Park Si-young, the channel's host, argued it was irresponsible to raise suspicions about Jung's ties to Shincheonji based on a photo of him with Lee Hee-ja at a 2019 "Nobel Road naming ceremony." He added that by the same logic, "President Lee Jae Myung, who also took a photo with Chairwoman Lee, should explain himself too."

The controversy deepened when a video surfaced showing Lee Ji-eun guiding President Lee to the restaurant during a campaign event.

Lawmakers loyal to President Lee pushed back immediately. Rep. Kim Yong of the Democratic Party posted on Facebook Sunday, writing: "They cut out Jung Chung-rae and pasted the president next to Shincheonji." He added: "Looking at the original, it's outrageous. Candidate Jung is clearly standing right next to the chairwoman. Cropping him out and leaving only the president is blatant photo manipulation and a smear campaign."

Kim said he had "reasonable grounds to suspect" that Park Si-young knowingly used the altered photo to damage the president's image, and urged Park Si-young TV to apologize and take down the video. "Now that the original has come to light and the manipulation is plain for all to see, issuing an apology and removing the footage is the bare minimum of common decency," he said.

Park Seon-won, a candidate for the Democratic Party's supreme council, also weighed in Saturday at a joint campaign speech in Incheon. "When Lee Jae Myung was Gyeonggi Province governor, 12 people were in a photo together — and someone cropped it down to four and tried to make it look like he was playing golf and receiving favors. How is what happened here any different?" Park said. "Isn't this anti-Lee factionalism and divisionism?"

Lee Ji-eun is a former police officer who entered politics after being recruited by the Democratic Party. She ran in the 22nd general election in Seoul's Mapo-gap district but lost. She later served as a spokesperson under Jung, but resigned from that role shortly after the June 3 local elections, when calls for Jung to step down grew louder. Her departure followed remarks she made saying: "We all criticized Yoon Suk Yeol enormously for handpicking a party leader — is the president now doing the same thing?"

Lee also drew attention Aug. 1 at the Democratic Party's joint campaign speech for the Chungcheong region — covering Daejeon, Sejong, South Chungcheong Province and North Chungcheong Province — held at the Daejeon Convention Center in Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, ahead of the Aug. 17 party leadership election. She was seen sitting behind candidate Jung and playfully poking him in the cheek with her finger.


jshan@heraldcorp.com