Criticism of YouTube Fake News Harms
Lee Jun-seok, a member of the Reform New Party, criticized fake news on YouTube. Previously, controversy arose when a false video claiming that Lee was marrying Cho Min, the daughter of Cho Kuk, the leader of the Cho Kuk Reform Party, circulated.
On the morning of the 18th, Lee attended the Edaily Forum held at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Hannam-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul. On this day, he gave a lecture under the theme "An Irresistible Future."
He pointed out, "Many elders ask me, who is single, why I married Cho Min, the daughter of Cho Kuk," adding, "Fake news on YouTube is a serious problem." Previously, a fake news video titled "[Breaking News] Lee Jun-seok and Cho Min, daughter of Cho Kuk, to marry in November!! It's chaos" was posted on YouTube last year. This video recorded over hundreds of thousands of views at the time.
The video contained claims such as "Politician Lee Jun-seok and Cho Min, daughter of former Minister Cho Kuk, will hold a luxurious wedding at the Shilla Hotel in Seoul on November 15 this year." It also claimed that "Former Minister Cho Kuk approved the marriage." Subtitles included statements like "Cho Min is eight months pregnant" and "Lee Jun-seok officially acknowledged the marriage."
Upon realizing the spread of this fake news, Representative Cho also showed a strong reaction. At the time, he harshly criticized the YouTube channel, calling it "the garbage-like acts of garbage-like people."
Last year, fake news that sparked controversy was uploaded on YouTube. [Image source=YouTube capture]
Meanwhile, Lee also explained the "image of conservatism as seen by the 2030 generation," which he personally experienced. He pointed out, "When you ask 20-something college students or those who just started working 'What is a protest?' they answer, 'Conservative elders occasionally come out to Gwanghwamun holding the Taegeukgi, the U.S. flag, and sometimes the Israeli flag, shouting for the release of Park Geun-hye and running around.'
Lee criticized, "Protests, which are the domain of the weak, have become the domain of conservatives," adding, "The younger generation expects South Korea, which has become a fully developed country, to set agendas and take initiatives suitable for global environmental regulations, but conservatives only talk about economic interests."
He continued, "If the overall atmosphere is not broken through, it will be very difficult for the right wing of South Korea to gain universal support from young people," emphasizing, "For the younger generation, industrialization and democratization are stories of the past, and no one in the 2030 generation is willing to reward those who sacrificed in the past. We must change the agenda and solve it rationally to attract the interest of the younger generation."
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