Lee calls election fraud claims 'antisocial,' urges stock market cleanup

President Lee Jae Myung on Sunday sharply criticized those spreading election fraud claims tied to the ballot shortage during the June 3 local elections, calling such behavior "antisocial."

Cheong Wa Dae spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said in a written briefing that afternoon that Lee had chaired the 37th senior secretaries' meeting via video conference from Italy.

The decision to convene the meeting while abroad came as protests continued at Olympic Park in Jamsil over the ballot shortage and public sentiment soured. It was the first time a sitting South Korean president has held a senior secretaries' meeting during an overseas trip.

Lee attributed the episode to "inexcusable mismanagement of the voting process by the National Election Commission" and said it had left "a serious blemish on South Korea's national standing — a country that prides itself on K-democracy, advanced industries and K-culture." He added that he fully accepts and acknowledges the legitimate grievances of citizens whose voting rights were infringed.

He then warned that forces were again emerging to exploit the situation. "Spreading election fraud theories — claiming the results were manipulated — distorts the essence of this issue and is antisocial behavior that insults the precious voices of the people," he said.

The remarks appeared directed at People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyeok and others in the opposition who have argued that the June 3 election was fraudulent, as well as protesters raising fraud allegations at demonstration sites.

Lee also said some of those making such claims appeared to be assaulting police officers at the scene and obstructing others, and warned that "appropriate accountability must be imposed in accordance with the law and principles."

He called for accelerating a thorough and transparent investigation into the facts and urged the National Assembly, which is set to launch a special parliamentary investigation committee, to extend full cooperation to the National Election Commission.

Lee received a report from the senior civil affairs secretary's office that a joint police-prosecution investigative task force had been formed to probe violations of citizens' voting rights. He also questioned whether private checkpoints and obstruction by force among protesters should be met with a firm response.

Lee also called for a structural overhaul of the stock market, which has seen sharp swings in recent sessions.

After receiving a briefing from the senior economic growth secretary's office on financial market conditions and the deteriorating state of listed companies, Lee said the market must be cleaned up by putting in place institutional safeguards to weed out problem players. "It is important to restore investor confidence by improving the health of the entire market — from small-cap stocks to blue chips," he added.

The government had earlier announced plans to introduce a so-called Kosdaq tiering system, dividing the market into premium and standard segments and placing companies at risk of delisting into a separate monitoring category.

Lee also signaled the start of his administration's second year in office and sought the National Assembly's cooperation.

"If the first year was about managing the chaos left by the insurrection and drawing up the blueprint for governance, the second year must focus on building the institutional foundations for our core policy agenda," he said.

He said close cooperation and communication with the National Assembly would be essential to that effort, adding that his team must spare no effort in pushing for legislative progress — visiting both the ruling and opposition parties as often as needed to get things done.