Former Lawmaker Cha Myung-jin on 'Sewol Ferry Insult' Referred to Prosecution with Indictment Recommendation

Former Future United Party lawmaker Cha Myung-jin. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] Cha Myung-jin, a former United Future Party lawmaker who ran in the April 15 general election and sparked controversy with his so-called 'Sewol Ferry tent slander,' has been sent to the prosecution with a recommendation for indictment.

The Bucheon Sosa Police Station in Gyeonggi announced on the 13th that Cha, who was booked without detention on charges of defamation under the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection, was sent to the prosecution with a recommendation for indictment.

Cha is accused of making slanderous remarks toward the Sewol Ferry victims' families during a broadcast station's April 15 general election candidate invitation debate on April 6, stating, "I already know of an article reporting that in May 2018, Sewol Ferry volunteers and victims' families engaged in indecent acts inside a tent that cannot be expressed in words."

The April 16 Sewol Ferry Disaster Families Association filed a complaint against Cha at the Bucheon branch of the Incheon District Prosecutors' Office on the 13th of the same month, accusing him of insulting the Sewol Ferry victims' families.

During the police investigation, Cha reportedly stated that he "only spoke facts that were reported" regarding the remarks in question.

Cha also sparked controversy last year by posting content disparaging the Sewol Ferry victims' families.

On April 15 last year, ahead of the 5th anniversary of the Sewol Ferry disaster, he posted on his Facebook, "Sewol Ferry victims' families. They greedily exploit the public's sympathy over their children's deaths, consuming it thoroughly, and even to the bone, they are truly shameless," which provoked backlash from the victims' families.

In response, 137 Sewol Ferry victims' families filed a lawsuit claiming damages totaling 410 million won, seeking 3 million won per person for mental suffering.

Meanwhile, he ran as the United Future Party candidate for Bucheon Byeong district in Gyeonggi in the April 15 general election but was defeated.

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