Democratic Party Reviews Legal Action Against 'Watermelon 7 Enemies' Poster
Listed by Moon... "An Attempt to Divide Pro-Moon and Pro-Myung"
As internal conflicts continue over the future of Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), the party has argued that strong support actions such as the so-called 'Subak 7 Jeok' poster are divisive tactics aimed at splitting the party. There is also analysis suggesting an intention to divide the pro-Moon (pro-Moon Jae-in) and pro-Lee (pro-Lee Jae-myung) factions.
On the 16th, the DPK's Legal Committee announced it is considering criminal charges against the creators and distributors of the 'Subak 7 Jeok' poster, which labeled seven pro-Moon and anti-Lee figures, including former President Moon Jae-in, as 'Subak' (a betrayer who is different on the outside and inside) and 'spies for the People Power Party.'
The Legal Committee stated, "We strongly urge the creators and distributors of the false defamatory posts to immediately delete the relevant internet posts," adding, "If false defamatory posts continue to be found, we will take all necessary measures, including criminal charges and requests to suspend postings, to respond strongly."
The 'Subak 7 Jeok' poster included the faces, constituencies, mobile phone numbers, and work contact numbers of former President Moon, former party leader Lee Nak-yeon, and lawmakers Kang Byung-won, Kim Jong-min, Yoon Young-chan, Lee Sang-min, and Lee Won-wook. The poster described the politicians listed as "the top accomplices who illegally attempted to manipulate and arrest their own party leader, enabling the corrupt prosecution to run rampant and colluding with the People Power Party to jointly create the Yoon Seok-youl administration."
The proposal for criminal charges against the creators and distributors of the poster was made at the Supreme Council meeting on the 15th. During ongoing discussions about the 'Subak 7 Jeok' poster, the floor leadership first suggested the measure, and the Supreme Council members agreed.
The DPK views the strong support actions criticizing the anti-Lee faction as possibly being a divide-and-conquer tactic by conservative supporters rather than DPK supporters. It is seen as a malicious intent aimed at splitting the party. On the 16th, Supreme Council member Park Chan-dae said on MBC Radio's 'Kim Jong-bae's Focus' program, "This is a serious issue that can break party unity," adding, "I suspect that malicious actors intentionally did this."
The DPK particularly focused on the fact that former President Moon was included in the 'Subak 7 Jeok' list. On the 15th, Lee Jae-myung posted on Facebook, "A list effective for sowing discord is circulating, and I even saw images criticizing President Moon Jae-in," questioning, "President Moon is a pillar of the Democratic Party, so how can he be labeled an enemy?" He continued, "The easiest and fastest way to suppress the opponent is to sow discord," and added, "It seems highly likely that someone who is not our supporter disguised themselves to attack."
Supreme Council member Park Chan-dae also argued, "Former President Moon is included in the poster," and "It is hard to believe this was created by our party supporters."
The day before, Park, a supporter of Lee who appeared on 'Kim Jong-bae's Focus,' claimed, "This is an attempt to incite conflict and divide the pro-Moon and pro-Lee factions." Park explained, "There is also a possibility that this is a divide-and-conquer tactic," adding, "After Lee requested restraint on internal attacks by saying, 'Let's overcome small differences within us and move forward together toward a greater purpose,' supporters have voluntarily refrained from using the 'Subak' expression, circulating the list, or sending messages."
However, no evidence has been found that the poster was created with malicious intent. Some politicians labeled as the '7 Jeok' have expressed their grievances, and the decision to pursue criminal charges appears to be based on the judgment that this is a significant obstacle to party unity.
Supreme Council member Park said, "We have not found concrete clues, but we want to investigate," adding, "We continue to communicate with lawmakers, and this issue is commonly raised. Those who are actually being attacked are expressing serious concerns and suffering, and this is a major obstacle to our unity."
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