Complaints and Accusations Including Defamation Against Bereaved Families and Cargo Solidarity Union
Kim Mina, a member of the People Power Party and Changwon City Council in Gyeongnam, was sent to the prosecution with a recommendation for indictment.
Amid controversy over posting ‘inflammatory remarks’ related to the Itaewon tragedy, Kim faced calls for resignation from various sectors and on the 30th received a suspension from attending the city council and a six-month party membership suspension from the Gyeongnam Provincial Party Ethics Committee.
People Power Party's Kim Mina, a member of the Changwon City Council in Gyeongnam, who has been criticized for posting 'offensive remarks' about the Itaewon tragedy, is apologizing to the bereaved families and citizens. [Photo by Lee Seryeong]
According to the Gyeongnam Police Agency on the 22nd, Kim was handed over to the prosecution on charges of disparaging the bereaved families of the Itaewon tragedy and members of the Cargo Solidarity union on her social media service (SNS).
SNS post by Mina Kim, a member of the Changwon City Council, Gyeongnam, People Power Party. [Image source=Facebook of Councilor Mina Kim]
In November last year, Kim posted on her SNS, “The families who kill the souls who went to heaven at such a young age like flowers for the second time!! #Masters of exploitation #They say they sell their children #Is this the second Sewol ferry? #Did they die saving the country?”
The day before, she wrote, “Those from the Democratic Party have exploited the yellow ribbon for about 8 to 9 years, and now how long will they exploit the black ribbon? #Corpse-selling scum #Heroes who saved the country? #Enough already!!”
On December 15 last year, 238 bereaved families filed a lawsuit against Kim for defamation and insult.
On the 27th of the same month, executives of the Cargo Solidarity, a union under the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions Public Transport Workers’ Union who were on a general strike related to the expansion of the safe freight rate system, also filed complaints and accusations against Kim on the same charges.
She is accused of writing posts such as calling the Cargo Solidarity “reckless lunatics who dare to defy the country” and posting a photo of Lee Bong-ju, head of the Cargo Solidarity, with the comment “You look damn miserable.”
The police stated that after reviewing the posts Kim made and legal considerations, they found it difficult to apply defamation charges and thus sent her to prosecution only on the charge of insult with a recommendation for indictment.
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