'Druking Incident' Sparks 'Kim Eo-jun and Chu Mi-ae Responsibility Debate'
Kim Eo-jun: "Judge Lee Dong-won's Convictions Act Selectively"
"Only Trusts Druking's Words, Distrusts Former Governor Kim Kyung-soo... It's Normal to Find the Verdict Strange"
[Asia Economy Reporter Na Ye-eun] Pro-government broadcaster Kim Eo-jun criticized Judge Lee Dong-won, who confirmed a two-year prison sentence for former Gyeongnam Governor Kim Kyung-soo in the 'Druking Comment Manipulation Case,' calling him a "judge who trusted Choi Soon-sil's words."
On the 22nd, Kim said on his program 'TBS Kim Eo-jun's News Factory' that Supreme Court Justice Lee Dong-won, presiding over the Supreme Court's 2nd Division, was "a judge who trusted Choi Soon-sil's claim that the three horses of Jung Yoo-ra were not bribes in the state affairs manipulation trial," and added, "He is the one who judged 'guilty' in the trial where Gyeonggi Governor Lee Jae-myung was acquitted. His convictions operate selectively," raising his voice.
He continued, "The court believed all of Druking's testimony, which was full of lies and reversals," emphasizing, "They only trusted Druking's words and did not trust a single word from former Governor Kim Kyung-soo. It is normal to say the ruling is strange."
He added, "Druking's testimony is practically everything. There is no significant evidence. It's a ridiculous ruling."
Kim's remarks came amid rising 'Kim Eo-jun and Chu Mi-ae responsibility theory' related to the Druking case.
The 'Druking Comment Manipulation Case' surfaced in January 2018. At that time, discussions about 'macro comment manipulation' spread mainly through internet communities and pro-government podcasts.
Before the macro comment controversy fully erupted in December 2017, Kim claimed on his TBS radio show 'News Factory' and podcast 'Das Bweida' that the comments criticizing the Moon Jae-in government on portal news sites were "all posted by comment squads who acted under orders from above."
Kim also raised the so-called 'Option Open' controversy, claiming that the phrase '옵션열기' (Option Open) was mistakenly copied during the mass copying process of portal news comments.
Subsequently, rumors about various groups, including presidential candidate camps, systematically manipulating comments circulated, and on January 8, 2018, a petition urging investigation into the comment manipulation controversy was posted on the Blue House's National Petition Board.
As the macro controversy intensified, Naver stated on January 19 that it appeared to be manipulation by a program rather than human hands and requested a police investigation. At the same time, then Democratic Party leader Chu Mi-ae launched the 'Fake News Comment Manipulation Legal Countermeasures Team' under the Digital Communication Committee.
Later, in November 2020, former Dongyang University professor Jin Joong-kwon wrote on his social media, "There are two people who greatly contributed to him (former Governor Kim) receiving a sentence," adding, "One is Kim Eo-jun, who even used broadcasting to raise the problematic suspicions. His conspiracy-theory-like imagination sometimes turns out to be reality. The problem is that the revealed reality was the inverse of his imagination."
He continued, "The other is also Chu Mi-ae, Minister of Justice at the time," pointing out, "At that time, she was the Democratic Party leader. If she had lightly laughed off Kim Eo-jun's conspiracy-theory-like imagination, this would not have happened. She is someone who usually trusts conspiracy theories a lot. So she believed Kim Eo-jun's words and requested an investigation, which led to this mess."
Finally, he concluded, "The presidents of this country are Yoo Si-min and Kim Eo-jun," saying, "Democratic Party lawmakers often base their inquiries on Kim Eo-jun's broadcasts. They not only play on the frames he sets but often even follow his wording. It's pathetic."
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court on the previous day (21st) dismissed both the prosecution's and former Governor Kim Kyung-soo's appeals in the final trial on charges including computer-related obstruction of business, confirming the original sentence of two years in prison. Kim, who was stripped of his position as Gyeongnam governor, will serve one year and nine months in prison, excluding the 77 days he was detained during the first trial.
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