Oh Se-hoon Criticizes Democratic Party's 'KakaoTalk Rebellion Incitement Report' Remark,
Urges Party to Remove 'Democratic' from Its Name or Rename It 'Democratic Public Security Party'
Democratic Party Seoul Spokespersons Counter: "Does Mayor Oh Want to Plunge South Korea into Chaos by Spreading Fake News?"
On the 12th, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon criticized a Democratic Party lawmaker's remark about 'reporting incitement of rebellion on KakaoTalk,' saying, "The Democratic Party should either remove 'Democratic' from its party name or rename itself as the 'Democratic Public Security Party.'
In a post on Facebook that day, Mayor Oh said, "The opposition party, which invited Kim Eo-jun to the National Assembly and provided a platform for spreading fake news, is now accusing ordinary people's KakaoTalk messages of being fake news and threatening to report them."
He also pointed out, "Those who want to abolish the National Security Act, claiming it restricts freedom of expression, are now trying to censor citizens' private conversations. This is a severe 'double standard.'"
He continued, "Moreover, the chairman of the Judiciary Committee from the opposition party, who is supposed to act as a prosecutor in the impeachment trial, is already talking about sentencing the president to death before the procedure even begins," adding, "The president is presumed guilty, while the Democratic Party leader insists on presumption of innocence even after the first trial verdict. The Democratic Party's human rights are self-serving."
Mayor Oh recalled, "During the previous administration, President Moon Jae-in filed a defamation lawsuit against a man in his 30s for distributing leaflets criticizing him," and questioned, "Is the Democratic Party's DNA this anti-democratic behavior of shouting for freedom of expression with a good face in front but gagging people behind the scenes?"
He added, "At this point, just as there is no democracy in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, there is no democracy in the Democratic Party," and warned, "This is why there is concern that if the Lee Jae-myung administration is born, new public security governance will become the norm."
Earlier, Jeon Yong-gi, co-chairman of the Democratic Party's National Communication Committee, said at a National Assembly press conference on the 10th, "Spreading fake news through communities and KakaoTalk is punishable as incitement of rebellion," and stated, "Even ordinary citizens will be firmly reported for incitement of rebellion or fake news."
In response, the Democratic Party of Korea Seoul Metropolitan City Party spokespersons criticized in a written briefing, "Does Mayor Oh Se-hoon wish for South Korea to fall into chaos and conflict by promoting fake news?"
They called Mayor Oh's criticism to rename the party as the 'Democratic Public Security Party' an absurd slander and demanded an immediate stop to attempts to impose a Big Brother image on the Democratic Party.
They argued that censorship is an unreasonable claim, stating that the Democratic Party neither intends nor is capable of censoring private conversations between individuals. They said the party aims to block the production and distribution of fake news that justifies rebellion based on received reports.
Mayor Oh emphasized, "Are you suggesting protecting fake news that justifies rebellion? That can never be freedom of expression."
He also noted that fake news justifying rebellion is rapidly spreading online. If left unchecked, national consensus will be divided, and social confusion and conflict will grow uncontrollably.
He stated that strict legal judgment and punishment are necessary for fake news that incites rebellion and promotes division and conflict. He expressed regret that politicians who should condemn and prevent such acts are instead encouraging them.
He urged the People Power Party to stop the shameless attempt to escape the dire situation of the 'Rebellion Party' by inciting rebellion and told Mayor Oh not to tarnish the faces of ten million Seoul citizens with his delusions as a presidential candidate and to exercise restraint.
He concluded by saying that what is important now is the swift end of the rebellion and political stability. Fake news only misleads the public and opinion, exacerbating confusion rather than stabilizing the political situation, and he hoped the People Power Party and Mayor Oh would remember that obstructing the blocking of fake news could also be considered incitement of rebellion.
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