Only Making Excuses:
"I Was Tricked by Newstapa"
Son Hyosook, CEO of the far-right educational organization Libax School, which is under suspicion of manipulating online comments, appeared at a National Assembly hearing on the 10th and claimed, "I have become mentally and physically weak due to a witch hunt." This was the first time Son appeared in public since the controversy arose.
Son Hyosook, CEO of Libax School, is attending the Libax School hearing held at the National Assembly Education Committee on the 10th. Photo by Kim Hyunmin
Son attended the Libax School hearing as a witness at the plenary session of the National Assembly Education Committee that day, and stated, "Since May 30, when the first report of the allegations came out, I have spent a month unable to think about anything."
Son's remarks about being the victim of a witch hunt and her mental and physical weakness were made in response to a question from Jin Sunmi, a lawmaker from the Democratic Party, who asked her to "properly answer for the shameful acts she committed." After Son's answer, laughter broke out in various parts of the hearing room.
Whenever lawmakers questioned her, Son repeatedly evaded most answers by citing her "mental and physical weakness," saying things like, "I don't really understand what you are saying," and "Why should I answer that?"
When Kim Junhyuk, a Democratic Party lawmaker, asked, "You once said that Chun Doohwan's honor should be restored. Do you still think so?" Son replied, "That has already become a difficult issue," and added, "Perspectives can differ depending on the context of patriotic activities."
In response to the question, "Is tolerating Chun Doohwan's massacre of countless citizens an act of patriotism?" Son said, "Every president has both achievements and faults," and added, "It is difficult for me to judge whether or not there was a massacre."
The controversy over Libax School's operation of a comment manipulation team was first brought to public attention by a Newstapa report on May 30. At the time, Newstapa reported that Libax School issued private qualifications allowing participants in the presidential election comment manipulation operation to work as Neulbom instructors, and deployed them to 10 schools in Seoul.
Regarding this, Son became emotional at the hearing and said, "I was not wise enough and fell victim to a Newstapa reporter who went undercover."
At the hearing, it was also revealed that in February of this year, Son sent text messages to Democratic Party lawmakers on the Education Committee, criticizing AI digital textbooks and asking them to oppose the revision of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. In the message, she introduced herself as a "parent voter," but at the time, Son was serving as an educational policy advisory committee member at the Ministry of Education.
Son explained, "I did not send the message in my capacity as an advisory committee member."
The Ministry of Education dismissed Son from her advisory committee position on June 1, immediately after the controversy over Libax School's historical perspective arose.
In response to Son's claim that she "did not send the message as an advisory committee member," lawmaker Jin Sunmi said, "If you had sent it as an advisory committee member, at least we could have responded. But you lied by sending it from an unknown number and claiming to be a 'parent voter.'"
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