President Lee Jae-myung speaks at the 2026 National Fiscal Strategy Meeting held at the Blue House on July 13. July 13, 2026. Blue House Press Corps
President Lee Jae-myung on the 13th sharply criticized media that reported he had fired a rifle at the Yeonpyeong unit that “even soldiers had never seen.”
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, that day, Lee said, “A political attack based on fabrication rather than reporting based on facts is not a proper attitude for the press.”
Last month, Lee visited the Marine Corps’ Yeonpyeong unit and fired live rounds with the K2C1, an improved rifle, hitting the target with all 10 shots at the time.
Regarding this, one media outlet reported that day that the K2C1 Lee fired was a rifle soldiers “had never even seen,” and that a considerable number of active-duty personnel are using the older K2 rifle, which cannot be fitted with accessory equipment.
In response, the Ministry of National Defense issued a correction statement that day, saying, “The K2C1 has been deployed with more than 170,000 units in operation among key guard units and frontline units, and additional deployment is planned according to mission priorities of the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps.”
It rebutted, “All infantry combat personnel at the Yeonpyeong unit the president visited are using the K2C1,” adding, “Reporting it as if ‘the president fired a rifle that soldiers had never even seen’ is a clear distortion.”