Controversy on the Party Member Bulletin Board... "Investigation Launched" vs "Not Han Dong-hoon"

Chinyun "If No Swift Response, Intra-Party Conflict Will Spread"
Chinhan "Will Review Whether It Should Go as Far as Party Audit"

The response to the incident in which defamatory posts against President Yoon Suk-yeol and his wife were uploaded under the names of Han Dong-hoon, the leader of the People Power Party, and his family on the party member bulletin board is causing a split in opinions between the pro-Han (pro-Han Dong-hoon) faction and the pro-Yoon (pro-Yoon Suk-yeol) faction.

Handonghun, leader of the People Power Party, and Chukyung-ho, floor leader, are attending the "Emergency Countermeasure Meeting to Prevent Judicial Obstruction by Lee Jae-myung of the Democratic Party" held at the National Assembly on the 12th. Photo by Kim Hyun-min

The pro-Yoon faction insists on the need for active measures, including a party audit. On the 13th, Chu Kyung-ho, the floor leader, told reporters at the Kensington Hotel in Yeouido, Seoul, "There are incomprehensible posts on the party member bulletin board, and many party members are worried," adding, "It is necessary to thoroughly investigate and resolve doubts, so I asked Secretary-General Seo Beom-su to start the investigation."

Pro-Yoon lawmaker Kwon Seong-dong also appeared on Channel A's 'Political Signal' that day, saying, "There were reportedly several hundred or even thousands of posts containing abusive language directed at the presidential couple," and added, "If we do not respond quickly, rumors and speculation could escalate into internal party conflicts." He continued, "I feel regretful that such an incident occurred during the process of resolving party-government conflicts," and said, "Party members are demanding a party audit regarding this issue."

The pro-Han faction is cautious about the situation escalating to a party audit. Joo Jin-woo, chairman of the party's legal advisory committee, claimed that it has already been confirmed that the person who wrote the posts was not Leader Han. Speaking to reporters at the National Assembly that day, he said, "I confirmed that the false information related to Leader Han is not true. It is not Leader Han himself," adding, "The comments were too extreme and somewhat problematic. We will announce who will face legal action as soon as the selection is made." Regarding Kim Min-jeon, a Supreme Council member of the People Power Party, who argued that the first digits of the resident registration number of the party member suspected to be Leader Han should be disclosed, Joo drew a line, saying, "According to Article 24 of the Political Parties Act and others, disclosing personal information about party members is punishable."

Pro-Han Supreme Council member Jang Dong-hyuk explained on MBC Radio that day, "Would Leader Han have posted such defamatory comments under his real name?" He added, "Many defamatory or factually inaccurate posts are being uploaded on the party member bulletin board, and it seems the party is reviewing how to manage these posts." He further said, "The Secretary-General and the party are also reviewing whether a party audit is necessary," and added, "As far as I know, it is still under review whether a single post is enough grounds for a party audit."

Previously, only party members who had undergone real-name verification could post on the party member bulletin board, but until recently, many posts defaming President Yoon and his wife were uploaded under the names of Leader Han, his spouse, father-in-law, and mother-in-law. The party member bulletin board is structured so that the poster's name is anonymized, showing only the surname. However, due to a recent system error, when searching with both surname and given name, the posts were fully exposed. Subsequently, posts found by searching the party member bulletin board through YouTube and other platforms spread, causing controversy.