Jim Rogers denies endorsing Lee Jae-myung, S. Korean presidential candidate

Jim Rogers denied endorsing South Korean presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung, disputing claims by the Democratic Party that had promoted his alleged support just days earlier. /Newsis

Jim Rogers, chairman of Rogers Holdings, said on Jun. 1 (local time) that he has never declared support for Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of South Korea’s Democratic Party—contradicting reports from the party just days earlier.

In an email to The Chosun Daily, Rogers said he had never endorsed Lee Jae-myung. His comments directly refuted claims from the Democratic Party’s central election committee, which said during a May 29 press conference at the National Assembly that Rogers had declared his support for Lee in the upcoming presidential election.

The opposing People Power Party responded swiftly. On June 2, it held an emergency press briefing, denouncing the claim as a “fraudulent act on the public.”

Rogers also criticized Lee’s camp for widely promoting the alleged endorsement, saying his name had been used inaccurately and that he did not support anyone in S. Korea.

He explained that the statement had been made by Paul Song—also known as Song Kyung-ho, a professor at Pyongyang University of Science and Technology—whom he recalled meeting briefly several years ago.

After news of the press conference spread, Rogers said he received several inquiries from acquaintances. In response, he described the situation as bizarre in messages sent via mobile messenger and email, and again stressed that he did not support anyone in S. Korea.

He also said he did not know Kim Jin-hyang, the former head of the Kaesong Industrial Complex who had led the press conference, and called it a sad situation that such an incident was taking place in S. Korea. As a foreign national, he added, he is not even eligible to vote.

Despite the growing confusion, Lee referenced the alleged endorsement in a Facebook post the day after the press conference. He said he had heard that Rogers had expressed support and quoted him as saying that people should invest in peace and the future—and therefore in the S. Korea.

Lee added that peace is not simply a political issue but an economic strategy, and said he fully agreed with Rogers’ view that S. Korea would emerge as a trade, finance and innovation hub in Northeast Asia.

Even as questions mounted over the validity of the endorsement, Kim Jin-hyang continued to insist it was genuine. In a Facebook post, he said Rogers’ support for Lee was real and urged people to rise above what he called falsehoods that failed to recognize goodwill as goodwill.

Meanwhile, Democratic Party lawmaker Jeon Jae-soo commented on the controversy during a radio appearance the same day. He said it was debatable whether Rogers’ support—or lack thereof—constituted the kind of national scandal that could significantly sway public opinion.

A portion of the email sent by Rogers Holdings Chairman Jim Rogers to The Chosun Daily on June 1. The red text shows Rogers saying he “never made any endorsement” and that the statement “was made by Paul Song, whom I met briefly several years ago.” /Kim Eun-joong