Kim Yong-min "If you apologize, I'll withdraw the lawsuit" vs Jin Joong-kwon "Is it wrong to call someone 'Jokuk dollmani'?"

Former Dongyang University Professor Jin Joong-kwon. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Yeon-ju] It has come to light that Rep. Kim Yong-min of the Democratic Party of Korea filed a civil lawsuit against former Dongyang University professor Jin Jung-kwon, who referred to him as 'Jo Guk ddolmani,' sparking a dispute over whether an apology should be made.

On the 7th, former professor Jin wrote on his Facebook, "If Rep. Kim Yong-min apologizes for this anti-democratic outrage even now, I will seriously consider allowing the withdrawal of the lawsuit."

This was in response to Rep. Kim's earlier statement, "If Jin Jung-kwon sincerely apologizes even now, I am willing to withdraw the lawsuit."

Former professor Jin sarcastically added, "The term 'ddolmani' may be used by you when addressing prosecutors, but an ordinary citizen should not use it toward you."

Recently, Rep. Kim filed a civil lawsuit seeking damages for defamation against former professor Jin, who had called him 'Jo Guk ddolmani' in the past.

In June, former professor Jin shared a news report on Facebook in which Rep. Kim referred to Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl as 'the worst prosecutor general in history,' and commented, "No wonder he is Jo Guk ddolmani. The worst member of the National Assembly in history."

Regarding the lawsuit, former professor Jin said, "A civil lawsuit was filed yesterday, and the plaintiff is Democratic Party Rep. Kim. After reading the complaint, I was astonished. He said he is so upset and resentful about being called Jo Guk ddolmani that he cannot perform his legislative duties. I burst out laughing at that part."

On the other hand, Rep. Kim emphasized, "Jin Jung-kwon is someone with a very powerful speaker. When he writes on Facebook, almost all media outlets report on it. If such a person uses insulting language without reasonable grounds, he must be held accountable."

He added, "It is qualitatively and significantly different from the public criticizing politicians. Therefore, such people should use dignified language. However, they fail to do so and use words as weapons to hurt others, which is why I am raising this issue."

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