"You Don't Even Have a Good Academic Background, Do You?"... Incumbent City Councilor Engages in Heated Exchange with Netizen on SNS

Incheon City Council Member Faces Backlash Over Comments Targeting Lee Junseok
Both Sides Clash: "Reported to Police" vs. "Will File False Accusation"

An incumbent member of the Incheon City Council has sparked controversy after engaging in a heated and provocative exchange with a netizen on social media.

On June 6, Yonhap News, citing online communities, reported that the previous day, Cha Mo (40) and Lee Danbi (37), a member of the Incheon City Council, had a fierce argument on social media.

SNS dispute between Assemblyman Cha Mo and Assemblywoman Lee Danbi of Incheon City Council. Thread capture

Cha wrote, "I don't know if Lee Junseok has an impressive academic background, but in the end, it just means he did better on tests than others. In a democracy, elections are tests. So what are Lee Junseok's test scores in the democracy exam room?" In response, Councilor Lee commented, "You don't even have a good academic background, do you? lol," which sparked a verbal altercation between the two.

When Cha said, "Sigh, I can't believe someone of this level is a city councilor," Councilor Lee shot back, "Sigh, what kind of life did you lead since your teens to end up like that?" Cha stated, "I was dumbfounded and angry because a public official was repeatedly making such low-level remarks, so I responded a bit harshly. Then she sent me a screenshot as if she had reported me to the police." He added, "To respond, I also reported the city councilor to the police." He continued, "I wanted to sound the alarm for public officials to uphold common sense and basic principles, so I tipped off the media. I hope public officials will understand what their roles entail and maintain proper values and common sense."

Lee Danbi, Incheon City Councilor, engaged in a heated debate with netizens. Incheon City Council

Speaking to Yonhap News, Councilor Lee said, "I never reported the other party (Cha), whose identity is not even confirmed on SNS, but since he reported me first, I will respond with a charge of false accusation. I explained to him that I mistakenly sent the screenshot (of the report submission), but he did not listen." She also claimed, "Before the academic background comment, Cha first disparaged the People Power Party in relation to another post of mine, calling it an 'extreme right-wing party.' Then, in his post, he wrote something to the effect of 'academic background is just the result of briefly studying hard in your teens,' so I asked, 'Is this what the left means by anti-discrimination?' That is how the academic background comment came up."

She went on to say, "If academic background is something to be disparaged, then what gives you the right to criticize how hard someone lived in their teens? That was the intention behind my comment. However, all the related comments have been deleted, and now I'm being accused of making disparaging remarks, which is absurd."

Councilor Lee added, "I endured various threats after martial law, but when someone posted a message saying, 'I'll stab your nephew,' I began reporting. I am filing complaints regarding three types of threats: threatening my nephew, threatening to stab with a knife, and threatening to tip off the media to prevent me from serving as a councilor. I will also file a false accusation charge against the other party (Cha), who continued to threaten to report to the media."