Lawmaker files defamation complaint over remarks in a group chat of more than 860 people accusing him of land dealings

Democratic Party Rep. Ju Cheol-hyeon of Yeosu-gap reviews documents at the National Assembly. [SNS]
Democratic Party Rep. Ju Cheol-hyeon of Yeosu-gap reviews documents at the National Assembly. [SNS]

Democratic Party Rep. Ju Cheol-hyeon of Yeosu-gap has filed a criminal complaint against a person he says spread malicious false claims about him, amid growing controversy over who bears responsibility for the poor turnout at the 2026 Yeosu World Island Expo.

According to Ju's office, a participant in a KakaoTalk group chat of more than 860 Yeosu-area residents recently posted a message saying, "Because of a certain lawmaker who dabbled in land deals and then lined up behind President Lee Jae-myung to show his face, Yeosu's development is finished." Ju filed a defamation complaint with the Yeosu Police Station over the post, his office said Thursday.

Ju also denied a report by an online outlet claiming he had pushed for the basic concept of the island expo during his tenure as Yeosu mayor — a position he held before winning his National Assembly seat — during the sixth term of local government from July 2014 to June 2018.

His office said the 2026 Yeosu World Island Expo was a campaign pledge of seventh-term Mayor Kwon O-bong, an independent, and was pursued in earnest from July 2018. The basic planning study, the Ministry of Economy and Finance's approval for the international event, and the selection of the Jinmo district in Dolsan-eup as the main venue were all decided during Kwon's tenure, the office said, adding that none of it was initiated under Ju's mayorship.

The office added that after Ju was elected to the National Assembly, he strongly recommended at a policy meeting with eighth-term Yeosu Mayor Jeong Gi-myeong — who served from July 2022 to June 2026 — that the city use the existing World Expo site in front of Yeosu Expo Station instead of the Jinmo district venue. Ju argued the Jinmo site had poor accessibility and that spending much of the roughly 30 billion won ($22.4 million) budget on land preparation and construction would leave too little for the actual event. The recommendation was not accepted, his office said.

On the real estate speculation allegations, Ju's office said he had not acquired a single square meter of new land in Yeosu since returning to the city in 2013 and owns no real estate on Dolsando island. "These rumors are malicious lies intended to smear him," the office said.

The 2026 Yeosu World Island Expo, held at the Jinmo district venue in Dolsan-eup, is set to close on Nov. 4. As of Thursday, cumulative attendance stood at around 800,000.


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