'"Jokuk Ddolmani" remark leads to Jin Joong-kwon being sued... Geum Tae-seop laments "I don't know what to say"'

"If Public Officials Are Punished for Criticism, Healthy Satire Becomes Impossible"

Geum Tae-seop, Former Member of the Democratic Party of Korea / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] Former Democratic Party lawmaker Geum Tae-seop criticized fellow party member Kim Yong-min, who filed a civil lawsuit against former Dongyang University professor Jin Joong-kwon on the 7th, saying, "Is that why you held the candlelight vigil?"

In a post on his Facebook on the same day, former lawmaker Geum said, "I really don't know what to say," and added, "Does he still think of himself as progressive?"

He continued, "During the conservative administration, many people fought hard to protect freedom of expression," emphasizing, "There were writings and drawings comparing the president to a rat or a chicken, and some criticisms were factually incorrect in specific details, but our argument was that banning or punishing such expressions would make healthy criticism and satire of public officials impossible."

He pointed out, "After the impeachment and regime change, now a Democratic Party lawmaker is filing a damages claim lawsuit for defamation. And that lawmaker is from Minbyun, who was at the forefront of defending freedom of expression."

Jin Joong-kwon, former professor at Dongyang University / Photo by Yonhap News

Earlier, former professor Jin revealed on Facebook in the morning that he had been sued by lawmaker Kim Yong-min. Jin sarcastically said, "After reading the complaint, it's absurd. This person (Kim) said he is frustrated and resentful because he was called 'Cho Kuk's lackey' and is now unable to perform his legislative duties."

Jin introduced one of the reasons Kim sued him as "raising suspicions about the connection between the Democratic Party and the Lime scandal," and claimed, "It's a warning not to utter a word about the corruption they commit," adding, "This is what a party named 'Democratic' is doing."

He added, "Regarding the Lime scandal, lawmaker Ki Dong-min has been summoned for questioning, and recently it was revealed that the office copier expenses of leader Lee Nak-yeon were paid by the Lime side," and said, "Yet if you raise suspicions, you get sued by a Democratic Party lawmaker."

Meanwhile, on June 21, lawmaker Kim said on a YouTube broadcast that Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl "seems likely to become the worst prosecutor general in the history of the prosecution."

Regarding this, former professor Jin strongly criticized Kim on Facebook at the time, targeting him by saying, "A rookie lawmaker whose blood is not even dry on his head dares to outright deny the president's personnel appointments," and added, "No wonder he is called Cho Kuk's lackey. The worst lawmaker in history."

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