Gong Ji-young on 'TK Vote Well' Controversy: "Picking Only Specific Posts to Portray Me as a Villain... Ridiculous"

Author Gong Ji-young. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Kim Yeon-ju] Writer Gong Ji-young expressed her stance of "It's absurd" on the 2nd, three days after controversy arose when she posted a graphic on social networking services (SNS) showing a sharp increase in confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) in Daegu and Gyeongbuk, along with the comment "Let's vote well."

On that day, Gong wrote on her Facebook, "I tried to stay quiet as much as possible, but I got caught again," expressing her position.

She stated, "The front and back of my SNS are made up of several posts that complement this post," and added, "They are demonizing this post alone, and now I am at a loss for words."

She continued, "Aren't the mayors and governors of Daegu and Gyeongbuk still people who support the Park Geun-hye administration?" and claimed, "While the mayor of Seoul is filing a complaint against Lee Man-hee of Shincheonji, the Daegu mayor, who should be the most urgent, is appealing to a cult."

She further expressed discomfort, saying, "I want to ask if pointing out that the result of voting for such people leads to a lukewarm response to this disaster should be demonized as a citizen," and "What is the intention behind distorting the fact that many confirmed cases are spreading because the mayors and governors of Daegu and Gyeongbuk are not taking appropriate measures?"

Gong said, "I attached the hashtag #CheerUp Daegu·Gyeongbuk right before this post, but no one reports on it, and now I am at my wit's end with people twisting and distorting this maliciously to demonize me as a villain."

She added, "What good does demonizing me alone do now?" and urged, "At times like this, please report on the people who are working hard and their tearful efforts."

Photo by Gong Ji-young, captured from Twitter

Former Dongyang University professor Jin Joong-kwon posted a screenshot of Gong's Twitter on his Facebook on the 29th of last month and harshly criticized, saying, "Gong Ji-young has finally gone crazy," and "Political fanaticism is this scary."

Former professor Jin pointed out, "No matter how much you are absorbed in politics, is that something to say in this situation?" and "Why did a perfectly normal person end up like that?"

Earlier, on the 28th of last month, writer Gong posted on her Twitter and Facebook SNS a graphic showing the regional confirmed cases of COVID-19 and the results of the 2018 local elections, along with the message "Let's vote well." This led to interpretations that residents of Daegu and Gyeongbuk were paying the price for voting poorly, sparking criticism.

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