Is Fake News Threatening Government Trust? Insights from Hong Ik-pyo’s Latest Remarks

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Hong Ik-pyo, the Blue House senior secretary for political affairs, said on Dec. 13 that an investigation by the Korea Communications Standards Commission into Kim Eo-jun’s News Factory — the program at the center of allegations of a “prosecutorial dismissal” deal — now appears unavoidable.

Hong called the allegations “fake news” and expressed visible frustration, saying, “This is absurd.” He also blamed the Democratic Party’s internal rifts over prosecutorial reform for igniting the controversy, calling the party’s conduct unbecoming of a ruling party and urging party leader Jeong Cheong-rae to sort out the issue promptly.

Speaking on KBS’s Sasa Geungeon, Hong said he expects the party to respond appropriately at the party level but predicted the Korea Communications Standards Commission would likely open an investigation.

“As far as I know, ‘News Factory’ is registered as a media outlet,” Hong added, “so I expect an appropriate inquiry to take place.”

Describing the mood inside the Blue House, Hong said officials are baffled and unsure how to respond. He said they view the claims as baseless and do not have the time to rebut every unfounded allegation.

He said there is little value in responding, yet he emphasized the matter’s seriousness because it could erode public trust in the government and its policies. He called the reports “very inappropriate fake news.”

Hong drew a clear line on the Blue House’s role, saying it has no plans to single out any specific media outlet or to devise its own countermeasures, and that such actions are for the relevant institutions to handle.

On Kim’s refusal to publicly apologize to Rep. Han Jun-ho, Hong suggested Kim likely acted in a personal capacity because an outside guest had participated on the program as a panelist.

Turning to the ruling party’s discord over prosecutorial reform, Hong said he found it regrettable now that the Democratic Party is the ruling party. “If you are the ruling party, act like it,” he said, urging better internal management.

Hong said the ruling party is a pillar of the administration and that the government and party must coordinate internally to improve proposals and strengthen public trust. He noted that the government’s second re-legislation draft essentially reflected the party’s position reached through a party meeting, so any revisions are the party’s responsibility. He urged the party to debate internally and present reasonable reform alternatives to the public.

Hong added that party leader Jeong Cheong-rae has repeatedly pledged to take responsibility, coordinate the plan and make decisions, and he expressed hope the issue will be resolved soon.