Far-right community 'Ilbe' mocks flood damage in Jeonnam region
Expert: "Punishment possible if discrimination and derogation are severe"
On the morning of the 8th, Sinandari Road in Buk-gu, Gwangju was flooded due to heavy rain that fell overnight. Photo by Yonhap News
[Asia Economy Reporter Han Seung-gon, Intern Reporter Kim Seul-gi] "It's Jeollado XX soup." "Ancestors are all smiles."
Members of the far-right community Ilbe (Ilgan Best) have recently been mocking the deaths and severe damage caused by heavy rains, sparking public outrage. They showed a heartless attitude by comparing the flooding of a columbarium to 'Seolleongtang' (ox bone soup) and other such terms.
On the 11th, the Cyber Investigation Unit of the Gwangju Metropolitan Police Agency announced that they have launched an internal investigation after hateful posts related to the heavy rain damage in the Honam region on the 7th and 8th were posted online.
The police stated, "On the 9th, we began an internal investigation regarding hateful posts targeting regions that were spread through some social network services (SNS). We will promptly verify the illegality of posts that slander or mock victims of the heavy rain disaster, which go against public sentiment, and respond strictly through swift investigations."
In fact, on Ilbe, there were numerous posts mocking the flood damage victims and their families, including those affected in the Gwangju and Jeonnam areas. Since the flood damage occurred in the Honam region on the 7th, about 300 posts mocking the flood damage were found when searching for 'Jeollado' on Ilbe.
They particularly did not hesitate to use hateful expressions such as 'Doenjang-guk' (soybean paste soup), 'Misugaru' (grain powder), 'Gwangju XXX punished even after death,' 'XX soup,' and 'XX soup' to mock the flooding in the Gwangju area. They even targeted an 8-year-old child who died in the heavy rain for ridicule and mocked the flooded Gwangju columbarium with comments like "Sending them to a water park because it's summer" and "Ancestors are all smiles," causing public outrage.
Ilbe members mocking flood damage in Honam region including Gwangju./Photo by 'Ilgan Best Storage' site screen capture
In the past, they have caused social controversies due to regional hatred and insults to the deceased. With the addition of mocking the recent Gwangju flood victims, public criticism against Ilbe has intensified day by day.
In 2015, an Ilbe member was arrested and prosecuted for insulting the students who died in the Sewol ferry disaster by referring to them as 'XX.' The suspect, Mr. Kim, insulted the deceased Sewol ferry victims with expressions like "I ate my friend." Subsequently, Kim's mother publicly apologized to the bereaved families and the public.
At that time, the suspect's mother said, "I sincerely apologize and express my regret to the bereaved families, the Danwon High School students who will be further hurt by this incident, and the countless citizens who watched the Sewol ferry accident with a heavy heart."
Public criticism against Ilbe and its members has even extended to the Blue House's national petition platform.
On the 10th, a petition titled "Demanding severe punishment for an Ilbe user who called an 8-year-old child who died in the heavy rain in Damyang, Jeonnam, 'XXX'" was posted on the Blue House petition board.
The petitioner explained the reason for posting the petition, saying, "There is a subhuman group that slaughters victims of the natural disaster of heavy rain in Honam and the resulting casualties with the destructive knife of regional prejudice. That group is Ilbe."
He added, "In the aftermath of the disaster, lives have been shattered and some have lost their beloved families due to the heavy rain. I hope that a thorough investigation will be conducted against Ilbe users who kill victims repeatedly with posts that incite regional prejudice, so that regional prejudice and regional disparagement can no longer take root in South Korea." As of the 13th, about 30,000 people have agreed to the petition.
In 2018, a petition titled "Request to Shut Down the Ilbe Site" was posted on the Blue House National Petition Board. The petition received support from over 200,000 people. Photo by Blue House National Petition Board
This is not the first petition criticizing Ilbe. In 2018, a petition titled "Request to shut down the Ilbe site" was posted on the Blue House petition board, garnering over 200,000 supporters.
The petitioner demanded the closure of the Ilbe site, stating, "Composite photos that damage individuals' honor and posts and photos that cause sexual shame are easily accessible regardless of age by simple searches."
Citizens are demanding site closure and legal punishment due to their excessive behavior. Notably, an Ilbe member who mocked the Sewol ferry disaster received a prison sentence from the court.
At that time, Kim Hyung-yeon, then Legal Affairs Secretary at the Blue House and head of the Ministry of Government Legislation, responded to the national petition by saying, "The Korea Communications Standards Commission (KCSC) has requested Ilbe to delete posts mainly based on reports of illegal and harmful information. Whether the proportion of illegal posts on Ilbe has reached the criteria for site closure requires more careful observation."
However, Kim pointed out, "Looking at the status of posts that were problematic due to discrimination or disparagement and were deleted or otherwise dealt with after review in the past five years, Ilbe has had the highest number of sanctions since 2013."
Kim explained, "Since 2013, Ilbe has been the top site sanctioned almost every year except in 2016 when it was ranked second. The KCSC has requested Ilbe to delete posts mainly based on reports of illegal and harmful information."
He added, "(An Ilbe member) was punished for posting slanderous posts about the Sewol ferry victims. The Supreme Court ruled in 2015 with a one-year prison sentence, stating that the problematic posts caused irreparable emotional wounds to the victims' families and the public."
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