"You Speak Rudely to Me?"... Hyeonjin Bae Faces Backlash for Posting Private Child's Photo on SNS

Private Family Photo Posted Amid Heated Online Exchange
"Excessive Response" Sparks Widespread Criticism

Hyeonjin Bae, a lawmaker from the People Power Party, is facing controversy after posting a photo of a private citizen, believed to be a family member of an internet user she was arguing with, on her own social networking service (SNS) account. The controversy has intensified because the person in the photo is a young child, leading to growing criticism over the appropriateness of her response.

Bae Hyunjin, Member of the People Power Party. Bae Hyunjin Instagram

On January 26, Assemblywoman Bae posted her position on Facebook regarding President Jaemyung Lee’s withdrawal of the nomination of former Minister of Planning and Budget Hyehoon Lee. She argued, “This issue should not end with the withdrawal of the nomination; it must lead to an investigation.” She further warned the former nominee, stating, “If there is any form of retaliation against the members of the Jungseong-dong district in Seoul who assisted in the confirmation hearing, the Seoul Metropolitan Chapter of the People Power Party will not stand by idly.”

Outrage Over “Stay Quiet” Comment

People Power Party lawmaker Hyeonjin Bae is engaged in a heated exchange with a member of the public in the comments section on her social networking service (SNS). Hyeonjin Bae Facebook

However, when an internet user commented on her post saying, “You stay quiet,” Assemblywoman Bae replied, “You come to my Facebook and speak so rudely.” She then added another reply, saying, “Leaving malicious comments while displaying your child’s photo,” and uploaded a photo of a young girl, believed to be a family member of the user, without any mosaic or blurring. Considering the user is a middle-aged man, it is presumed that the girl in the photo is his granddaughter.

“Posting a Private Child’s Photo Crossed the Line” - Criticism Spreads

This response quickly drew widespread criticism online. Many voiced concern over the fact that a photo of a child unconnected to the political debate was made public.

Internet users criticized, saying, “She’s exposing a private child’s photo to incite her supporters to leave malicious comments,” “Isn’t this a violation of the Child Welfare Act?” “A lawmaker should not act this way,” “She’s subjecting an unrelated child to public shaming-isn’t that grounds for disciplinary action?” “Using a child as a political tool is unacceptable,” and “What did the child do to deserve this?”

Meanwhile, Assemblywoman Bae has previously claimed to be a victim of malicious comments on several occasions. In 2019, a man in his 50s was fined 500,000 won for posting defamatory comments on an article about her.