"What's Your Rank?", "Defeated Soldiers" Cheonan Ship Sinking 11 Years, Unending Survivor Criticism

Legal Action Announced Against High School Teacher Who Criticized Former Captain Choi Won-il
11 Years After Cheonan Ship Incident, Abusive Language Continues Online Including SNS
"Why Haven't You Taken Extreme Measures Yet?" Crossing the Line
Former Captain Choi: "Surviving Soldiers Endure with Tranquilizers"
"Don't Mess with People Who Have Nothing to Lose"

A, a teacher at a high school in Seoul, recently poured criticism on former Cheonan ship captain Choi Won-il in a post on their social networking service (SNS) account. / Photo by Facebook capture

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] "Soldiers are getting cursed at while dying.", "Is being sunk a badge of honor?"

About 11 years have passed since the Cheonan ship sinking incident, but criticism and insults targeting the victims and surviving soldiers have not stopped. Some accused former Cheonan ship commander Choi Won-il, who was in charge at the time, saying, "You sacrificed all the soldiers due to poor vigilance," while others made extreme remarks seemingly urging him to take drastic actions, such as "Even a fishing boat captain shares the fate of his ship." Former Commander Choi urged restraint, saying that the surviving soldiers of the Cheonan ship are still suffering mental distress.

On the 11th, a high school teacher in Seoul, Mr. A, wrote on his Facebook account, directing harsh criticism at former Commander Choi, saying, "That bastard commander who should have been dismissed and exiled if the Cheonan ship was 'sunk' is blabbering somewhere," and "What kind of honor is the Cheonan ship? The Cheonan ship is not the Sewol ferry. You are a soldier," he ranted.

On the 9th, reporter Ko Il-seok, a contributor to the 'Homeland White Paper,' targeted former Commander Choi, saying, "Those worthless people are messing around," and "The commander who sacrificed precious soldiers due to poor vigilance walks around arrogantly pointing fingers," unleashing harsh words.

Reporter Ko also claimed that former Commander Choi "should have been sent to a military court immediately," and "He was promoted and discharged without punishment, so he is acting arrogantly like this."

Regarding the posts by these two individuals, former Commander Choi and the surviving soldiers of the Cheonan ship stated, "We are actively responding to insults and defamation against the commander, bereaved families, and surviving soldiers," indicating legal action. Subsequently, Mr. A and reporter Ko deleted their posts and bowed their heads, saying, "We sincerely apologize." However, former Commander Choi is reportedly planning to proceed with lawsuits against them, fearing damage to the honor of the fallen soldiers and their families.

Some netizens wrote posts criticizing the Cheonan ship victims and surviving soldiers. / Photo by Online Community Capture

Although 11 years have passed since the Cheonan ship sinking incident, criticism toward the victims and survivors continues unabated. Harsh remarks targeting former Commander Choi and surviving soldiers have also continued on social networking services (SNS) and online communities.

Looking at recent examples of criticism disclosed by former Commander Choi, one netizen said, "I find it stranger that you (former Commander Choi) have not taken extreme measures yet," and "Even a sinking fishing boat captain shares the fate of his ship, but you are trash who sank over forty young soldiers and couldn't even identify the cause," spewing abusive language.

There were also posts calling the fallen soldiers "defeated troops." One netizen wrote on the internet community 'Clien,' "I don't understand why the Cheonan ship should receive special treatment," and "From my experience in military life similar to real combat, the Cheonan ship is just defeated troops who failed in vigilance. Just because many died together, do they deserve more special treatment than hundreds of other national heroes?"

Former Commander Choi urged restraint, saying that the survivors are still suffering mental distress.

In a blog post he wrote in March, he emphasized, "While you are in a warm room posting malicious comments about the Cheonan ship, there are surviving soldiers who are enduring with clenched teeth, unable to die, missing their comrades who went ahead in the cold sea and harsh society," and "They do not seek any compensation; they just want to hear a word of thanks for coming back alive."

In a recent Facebook post, former Commander Choi again appealed, saying, "One of the surviving soldiers took tranquilizers today, and active-duty comrades are calling saying they are submitting discharge applications," and "Please stop bothering people who have nothing left to lose."