Cheong Wa Dae rebuffs lawmaker's claim that president was briefed on special prosecutor probe

Cheong Wa Dae said Wednesday that People Power Party lawmaker Ju Jin-woo's claim that President Lee Jae Myung had been briefed on the progress of a special prosecutor investigation into the National Election Commission was false, expressing regret over what it called inaccurate allegations.

Ju said earlier Wednesday on Facebook that Lee had posted a classified presidential office document on social media, noting that the bottom of the document appeared cropped and contained a partial reference to the National Election Commission special prosecutor and a ballot recount at the Olympic Park Handball Gymnasium. "He was caught by accident," Ju said.

Ju said he could not understand why the president would be receiving updates on the special prosecutor's investigation, calling it "strong, direct evidence" that Lee was either colluding with or conducting surveillance on the special prosecutor's office.

Cheong Wa Dae rebuffed the claim, saying the content Lee received was based on a Korean National Police Agency security report stating that the special prosecutor's decision to postpone its verification of ballots at the Olympic Park Handball Gymnasium had resolved concerns over potential clashes with rally participants. The presidential office said the briefing had nothing to do with the status of the National Election Commission investigation.

In a separate press notice, Cheong Wa Dae said restrictions on the leak of classified documents apply only to the conduct of presidential office staff, adding that there was "no problem whatsoever" with the president directly sharing information of public benefit.

It went on to express regret over "certain acts of publicly making claims without verifying the facts."