"Let's Do Everything We Want with Uri Ini" Munppa, Who Are They? [Han Seung-gon's Political Notebook]

Who Are the Moonppa, Moon Jae-in's Concrete Supporters?
Fandom-Level Supporters Like Moonppa, Munkkul Osori, and Dalbit Gisa-dan
Some Criticize Them as 'Blind Supporters' or 'Fanatics'
Even After the Democratic Party Withdraws the Complaint Against Professor Im Miri's Column, Moonppa Sue Professor Im
Experts Say "Moonppa Cannot Be Understood by Traditional Political Logic... They Are a Phenomenon"

At the time the presidential candidate for the Democratic Party of Korea, Moon Jae-in, attended a concentrated campaign rally held at Ilsan Cultural Park in Ilsan-dong-gu, Goyang-si, Gyeonggi-do on the afternoon of May 4, 2017, appealing for support.

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Seung-gon] "Is there a reason to like Moon Jae-in?"

This was the response when a male office worker in his mid-30s, who openly supports the Democratic Party of Korea, was asked, "Why do you support President Moon Jae-in?"

'Moonppa' (the solid support base of President Moon Jae-in) forms a unique political foundation. They display their support without the typical organizational structures seen in politics. As a result, although Moonppa has no visible organization, they are regarded as the strongest support group for the Democratic Party.

They virtually agree with all of President Moon's thoughts and pursued policies. Because of this, they have earned nicknames such as 'Daekkaemoon' (literally "even if your head breaks, Moon Jae-in") and 'Munkkul Osori' (named after the aggressive behavior of honey badgers, likening supporters' behavior to that of honey badgers).

Moonppa has always stood by President Moon. In June 2012, when Moon Jae-in, then the standing advisor of the Democratic United Party, declared his candidacy at Independence Park in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, many of them gathered to cheer his announcement.

Also, in August 2014, when President Moon, as a member of the New Politics Alliance for Democracy, went on a hunger strike with the families of the Sewol ferry victims at Gwanghwamun Square, they stood by his side.

They voluntarily recorded President Moon's words and actions and spread them on Twitter, Facebook, Naver Band, Kakao Story, and other platforms.

President Moon Jae-in [Photo by Yonhap News]

◆ Virtually 'blind support'... Labels attached to Moonppa: 'blind followers', 'fanatics'

The problem is that they show hostility toward those who criticize President Moon or hold different opinions. Because of this, even within the Democratic Party, there are criticisms such as "Moonppa does not engage in rational communication at all," "fanatics," and "mentally ill." This is why Moonppa is evaluated as a kind of fandom with 'blind support.'

In fact, some hardcore supporters attack politicians or ordinary people, regardless of party affiliation, with text messages and comments if they believe they are obstructing the Moon Jae-in government.

Professor Seo Min of Dankook University, for example, wrote a blog post titled "Moonppa has gone crazy" on December 19, 2017, saying, "Moonppa, you are patients. You need treatment," and was bombarded with 'text message attacks' and criticism from Moonppa.

At that time, Professor Seo questioned, "Will a truly good world come if the media continuously sings praises for President Moon and TV news turns into 'Ttaengmoon News'?" and pointed out, "Unfortunately, Moonppa seems to believe so."

Professor Seo added, "Moonppa themselves are unaware of their illness, making it difficult to take them to the hospital, and even if taken, the chances of recovery are not high," and said, "The bigger problem is that contrary to Moonppa's beliefs, their existence does not help President Moon at all."

President Moon Jae-in is talking with a fish cake shop merchant at Namdaemun Market on the 12th.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

◆ "Reminiscent of Hitler's followers"

Kim Jong-in, former leader of the Democratic Party, also referred to Moonppa on March 24, 2017, saying, "They remind me of Hitler's followers."

He commented in an interview with a media outlet regarding the 'negative' exchanges between Moon Jae-in, then the Democratic Party's presidential candidate, and Ahn Hee-jung, saying, "Ahn, like me, was severely attacked by Moon's hardcore supporters, so he could no longer endure and openly criticized them. I understand Ahn's feelings."

At that time, Ahn had a dispute with Moon over the issue of 'Chun Doo-hwan commendation.' Ahn lamented, "Moon's side has the strongest firepower. So those close to him get hurt. Please take special care of that."

Regarding this, Moon defended Moonppa. After being confirmed as the presidential candidate on April 3, Moon said in an interview that evening, when the interviewer pointed out, "There were cases where 18-won donations, text message attacks, and defamatory comments against rival candidates were organized by Moon's supporters," "Such things can happen in fierce competition. I think they were like spices that made our competition more interesting."

On November 19 last year, President Moon Jae-in held the event "The People Ask, 2019 Dialogue with the People" at MBC in Sangam-dong, Seoul.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

◆ 'Professor Lim's column accusation incident' - Is the aggressive Moonppa a burden to the Democratic Party?

The aggressive behavior of Moonppa differs from the Democratic Party's internal stance. On the 13th, the Democratic Party filed a complaint with the prosecution against Professor Lim Mi-ri and the columnist of Kyunghyang Shinmun for alleged election law violations after Lim contributed a column titled "Exclude the Democratic Party." However, the complaint was withdrawn on the 14th following public backlash.

Nevertheless, Professor Lim criticized the party via text message to reporters that day, saying, "The Democratic Party is trying to end the matter with just a statement from the Public Relations Department, even though there should be a withdrawal of the complaint and an apology from the party leadership." She demanded an official apology from the party.

Then, former Prime Minister Lee Nak-yeon, running for Seoul Jongno district in the upcoming April 15 general election, issued an official apology, which Professor Lim accepted, and the matter was settled for the time being.

However, Moonppa filed a complaint against Professor Lim again on behalf of the Democratic Party, which had withdrawn the complaint. From the party's perspective, this means that despite being able to avoid criticism about suppressing freedom of expression by withdrawing the complaint, they have entered another phase of criticism.

This is why some point out that Moonppa's actions are a kind of 'foul ball' ahead of the general election.

President Moon Jae-in is having a conversation titled "The People Ask, 2019 Dialogue with the People" on the afternoon of November 19 last year at MBC in Sangam-dong, Seoul.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

◆ "Moonppa is different from traditional political supporters... Should be understood as a phenomenon"

There is growing interest in what role Moonppa might play in the upcoming general election and whether they might negatively affect the Democratic Party.

Experts analyze that Moonppa is a social phenomenon that cannot be interpreted by conventional political logic. Moonppa supporters differ from typical party supporters or political fan clubs like 'Nosamo' (supporters of former President Roh Moo-hyun).

Park Gu-yong, professor of philosophy at Chonnam National University and author of 'Moonppa, the Strange Emergence of New Sovereigns,' said in a phone interview with Asia Economy on the 18th, "Moonppa is not a traditional political organization but a 'phenomenon.' They should not be interpreted from a conventional political perspective."

When asked if Moonppa could negatively impact the Democratic Party, he replied, "The party has its stance and proceeds accordingly, and Moonppa flows in its own way."

Professor Park explained, "Traditional political support groups have someone issuing orders and move in a coordinated manner, but Moonppa lacks that. This is their characteristic." He added, "If we fail to interpret this Moonppa phenomenon, we will not understand future political phenomena."

He interprets President Moon's support groups like 'Dalbit Gisa-dan' (Moonlight Knights) and 'Munkkul Osori' as new types of sovereigns never seen before.

Professor Park also defined the difference between 'Nosamo' and 'Moonppa.' He said, "Nosamo had an organization and members. In contrast, Moonppa has no organization. It is just a phenomenon. But what matters is that it 'operates.'"

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.