'Wandering Homeless or Beaten'... Controversy Over Cartoon Criticizing Real Estate Policy as '5·18 Violent Suppression Imitation'

On the 9th, a post criticizing the cartoon was uploaded on the online community 'BobaeDream'. / Photo by BobaeDream capture

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Eun-young] A media outlet that posted a cartoon criticizing the government by directly imitating a photo of paratroopers during the May 18 Democratic Uprising is facing backlash from netizens.

On the 19th, an online community called 'Bobaedream' posted a message titled "I was so angry that I found the source."

The post included a photo of martial law troops brutally beating citizens during the May 18 incident, alongside a cartoon from a daily newspaper in the Daegu region.

On the afternoon of the 18th, the newspaper posted a cartoon on its website titled "Wandering without a home or being beaten in the middle of the night," criticizing the government's real estate policies.

The cartoon depicted personified martial law troops represented by health insurance fees, property taxes, and comprehensive real estate taxes violently beating a citizen, with the phrase "One house exceeding 900 million won in the middle of the night" written next to a citizen covering their face with their hands.

The issue was that this cartoon closely resembled a photo of martial law troops indiscriminately beating citizens during the May 18 Gwangju Democratic Uprising.

The controversial cartoon. / Photo by the respective media outlet's website capture

As the cartoon sparked controversy, social media platforms like Twitter saw reactions linking the original photo and the cartoon, with comments such as "They probably didn’t post it unknowingly, so I’m curious about their intent," and "No matter how much you want to criticize the government, this is not acceptable."

A petition demanding punishment for the media outlet and individuals involved in publishing the cartoon.
[Captured from the Blue House National Petition website. Resale and DB prohibited] / Photo by Yonhap News

On the 19th, a related petition was even posted on the Blue House’s national petition board. In a post titled "Petition to punish the newspaper that insulted the May 18 Democratic Uprising," the petitioner stated, "(A media outlet) drew a cartoon directly based on a photo capturing the atrocities of paratroopers during the May 18 Democratic Uprising to criticize government policies," and "I petition for legal punishment and an apology from the newspaper that published this malicious article."

The petitioner further claimed, "The post depicted paratroopers who beat and killed Gwangju citizens as health insurance fees and property taxes, portraying the government as one that torments and tramples on the people."

They added, "This not only directly damages the spirit of the May 18 Democratic Uprising but also equates the current government with the past military regime of Chun Doo-hwan, which massacred citizens," and criticized, "It appears to have been created with a malicious intent to incite all viewers of this cartoon to feel as if they themselves are victims, like the Gwangju citizens massacred by the paratroopers who were henchmen of Chun Doo-hwan under the current government."

The petitioner demanded, "I petition for legal action against the cartoonist A and all editors and related personnel responsible for supervision at the newspaper, who violated the May 18 History Distortion Special Act."

As of the afternoon of the 20th, the petition was set to private for administrator review.

In response to the controversy, the newspaper deleted the cartoon from its website to prevent further views.

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