[Summary] 'Sexual Relations with Minors...Disparaging Disabled People' Gyeonggi Province Revokes Qualifications of Public Official Who Posted on 'Ilbe'

Homepage screen of the far-right online community 'Ilgan Best'. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Juhee] Gyeonggi Province has revoked the appointment qualification of a Grade 7 public official candidate who posted 'suspected sexual crime' content on an online community.

On the 26th, the province held a personnel committee meeting and decided to disqualify candidate A for Grade 7 new appointments, citing damage to dignity under the Local Public Officials Appointment Decree.

Candidate A is currently not a formal public official but an appointment candidate. Following this decision, A will lose the candidate qualification and be excluded from appointment as a Gyeonggi Province public official.

The province became aware of the issue through a civil complaint and a Blue House national petition last month requesting to block the appointment of candidate A, who posted suspected sexual crime content, and has been conducting an internal investigation.

The personnel committee listened to related statements to ensure A's right to defense.

The committee explained the reason for disqualification as follows: "Candidate A posted multiple posts containing sexual harassment against women and derogatory remarks about disabled people on a public internet site accessible to anyone, greatly damaging dignity as a candidate and lacking the qualifications to serve as a Gyeonggi Province public official who must serve the residents."

The province plans to proceed with a prior notification procedure to officially inform candidate A of the disposition. If A wishes to provide an explanation after receiving prior notice, the final disposition will be confirmed after hearings and other procedures.

A petition titled "Please prevent the appointment of a Grade 7 public official who has posted countless sexually harassing and derogatory remarks against disabled people on the abbreviated Ilbe site!" was posted on the Blue House National Petition Board on the 30th of last month. Photo by Blue House National Petition Board capture

Earlier, on the 30th of last month, a post titled "Please block the appointment of a Grade 7 public official who posted countless sexual harassment and derogatory remarks about disabled people on the so-called Ilbe (Ilgan Best Storage) site!" was uploaded on the Blue House national petition board, sparking this controversy.

According to the post, candidate A, who was active on Ilbe, boasted about passing the Gyeonggi Province Grade 7 public official exam last year. However, in subsequent posts, A did not express expectations for public service but posted about his own sexual misconduct and insults toward disabled people.

It was confirmed that A posted inappropriate content for several years on the community, including uploading photos of women claiming to have had sexual relations with minors and derogatory remarks about disabled people.

The petitioner stated, "A member posted a photo certifying passing the public official exam on an internet community," and added, "This person is the one who secretly filmed women and disabled people on the street and frequently posted mocking content on the community," demanding cancellation of the appointment. The petition gained over 100,000 supporters by the 27th.

Gyeonggi Provincial Government Building. / Photo by Gyeonggi Province

As the controversy spread, Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung posted on his Facebook last month, saying, "If true, this person is not qualified to perform public duties for the residents," and ordered a thorough and strict investigation.

In response, candidate A posted an apology on the online community. He explained, "Most of the posts I made, including those on the Ilbe site, are not true. Given the nature of the community space, it is common for people to post their delusions or false stories."

He added, "Although I feel wronged in that regard, I will no longer make excuses. I sincerely apologize once again."

Meanwhile, apart from the disqualification decision, the province plans to request an investigation by judicial authorities regarding separate allegations denied by A, such as sexual transactions with minors.