Oh Se-hoon, 'KakaoTalk Censorship' Controversy... "Reflects Lee Jae-myung's Arrogance"

Controversy Over Democratic Party's KakaoTalk Fake News Censorship Continues
"Not Even Allowing Discussion on the Special Investigation Law"
On Democratic Party's Approval Ratings: "They Need to Realize What They Did Wrong"

On the 13th, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon strongly criticized the Democratic Party of Korea's controversy over the 'KakaoTalk fake news report (KakaoTalk censorship),' calling it "a reflection of Lee Jae-myung's impatience and arrogance." The day before, Mayor Oh had also criticized, saying, "The Democratic Party should either remove 'Democratic' from its party name or rename itself as the 'Democratic Public Security Party.'"

In a phone interview with Channel A on the morning of the same day, Mayor Oh said, "It infringes on freedom of thought and freedom of the press, publication, assembly, and association." Earlier, Jeon Yong-gi, co-chairman of the Democratic Party's National Communication Committee, stated at a National Assembly press conference on the 10th, "Spreading fake news through communities and KakaoTalk is punishable as propaganda for rebellion," adding, "Even ordinary citizens will be firmly reported for inciting rebellion or spreading fake news."

In response, Mayor Oh pointed out, "In a situation where the execution of the arrest warrant for the president is imminent, saying that spreading content created by people with views different from the Democratic Party's is inciting rebellion and should be punished is impatience reflecting the desire to complete impeachment before the appeal trial of (Lee Jae-myung) and quickly hold the presidential election, as well as arrogance believing that nothing is impossible with two-thirds of the seats." He added, "The Democratic Party even included foreign exchange charges when proposing the special investigation law on rebellion," saying, "This means they do not want the public to form opinions, in other words, not even to discuss the pros and cons of the special investigation law."

Mayor Oh also pointed out fake news originating from the Democratic Party. He said, "I saw news where a Democratic Party member said the president had fled, which is fake news that differs from the facts," and criticized, "Even they must realize how nonsensical it is to punish others for fake news while spreading such stories themselves, and the public is well aware of this."

Regarding the recent approval ratings of the Democratic Party, he stated, "They need to humbly feel what they did wrong." He further argued, "If the Democratic Party's legislative rampage and frequent impeachment motions led the president to impose martial law, then after the martial law situation is somewhat resolved, the Democratic Party should also reflect on the fact that they contributed to the cause."

The day before, Mayor Oh also said, "During the previous administration, President Moon Jae-in sued a man in his 30s for defamation because he distributed leaflets criticizing him," and questioned, "Is the anti-democratic behavior of shouting for freedom of expression with a gentle face in front and gagging people behind the scenes part of the Democratic Party's DNA?" Regarding Kim Eo-jun, who appeared as a witness in a National Assembly standing committee inquiry related to last month's emergency martial law incident and claimed it was an 'assassination squad' rather than an arrest squad, and the Democratic Party that created this opportunity, he criticized, "The opposition party that 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."