On the 17th, the May 18 Memorial Foundation and Gwangju City filed a complaint against two external contributors of Sky Daily for violating Article 8 of the Special Act on the May 18 Democratic Movement, which prohibits the dissemination of false information. Photo by May 18 Memorial Foundation
On November 17, the May 18 Memorial Foundation and Gwangju City announced that they had filed a complaint against two external contributors of the online media outlet Sky Daily on suspicion of spreading false information about the May 18 Democratic Movement.
The two individuals are accused of disseminating false claims, including the so-called “North Korean military intervention theory” regarding the May 18 Democratic Movement, through columns published in the online newspaper Sky Daily.
In the complaint submitted to the Gwangju Metropolitan Police Agency, the foundation and Gwangju City stated, “The two external contributors spread false information, such as the North Korean military intervention theory, in their columns for Sky Daily.”
They further explained, “The columns contained assertions that North Korean special forces were dispatched to Gwangju, or that pro-North leftists knowingly distorted such facts. These false claims imitate or reference the individual falsehoods previously asserted by Ji Manwon.”
They added, “Distorting the history of the May 18 Democratic Movement runs counter to the social consensus that seeks to enshrine the spirit of May 18 in the preamble of the Constitution. Strict investigation and punishment are necessary.”
Yoon Mokhyeon, Chairperson of the May 18 Memorial Foundation, stated, “Distorting the history of the May 18 Democratic Movement is a serious violation of both the legislative intent behind the laws governing the movement and the broad social consensus to include the spirit of May 18 in the Constitution. A thorough investigation and appropriate punishment are required.”
Sky Daily, which was reported by the foundation for publishing distorted coverage of the May 18 Democratic Movement, published an article titled “We Apologize” on its front page on August 19.
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