Behind-the-scenes forces and Ilbe soldier conspiracies... Whistleblower on 'special leave' allegations troubled by flood of slanders

On-Duty Soldier Hyunmo's Personal Information Leak Leads to SNS Account Closure
Excessive Criticism Raises Concerns Over Reporting Restrictions

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Jung-yoon] Defamation against the whistleblower who reported the alleged 'special leave' during the military service of Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae's son, Seo Mo, continues.

On the 23rd, pro-government online communities were filled with posts attacking the whistleblower, duty soldier Hyun Mo. Comments such as "He was so passionate about justice as if something serious happened, but now he's quiet" and "He caused a nationwide uproar, so he must take responsibility for his words" were common. Posts suggesting that there is a backing force behind the whistleblowing were also easily found. One such post stated, "The backing force must also be punished. Since they caused national confusion, they deserve punishment." There were also claims that this whistleblowing was intended to block the establishment of the High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Office (HOCI) and prosecution reform. Some continued to dig into Hyun's personal information based on unverified facts.

On Twitter, a post claiming that Hyun is a member of the conservative online community Ilgan Best Storage (Ilbe) circulated, stating, "This allegation against Minister Choo's son is just a scheme by an Ilbe soldier." Various criticisms and insults were reportedly directed at Hyun through his personal social network service (SNS) accounts. Possibly due to this defamation, Hyun closed his personal SNS account.

Hyun claims that he was on duty as a soldier on June 25, 2017, the date when Seo's alleged failure to return from leave was raised, and that he spoke with Seo regarding the return issue. He reported the special leave suspicion, saying that after the call, a captain came and instructed him to correct Seo's status to that of a soldier on leave.

Experts explain that excessive criticism of whistleblowers based on partisan logic should be cautioned against. Professor Song Jae-ryong of Kyung Hee University's Department of Sociology said, "The partisan logic that excludes the opposing camp is at a serious level in Korean society today," adding, "Objective judgment should be based on investigation results, and if such criticism continues, it could have a negative effect by discouraging future whistleblowing."