'"Text Bomb Recommendation" Yeo Kim Yong-min: "We Must Listen to Supporters' Active Expressions"'

Kim Yong-min, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, attended the plenary meeting of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee held at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, on September 21 last year, and gave a proposal explanation on the partial amendment bill concerning the establishment and operation of the High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Office. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim So-young] Kim Yong-min, a Democratic Party lawmaker running for the party's Supreme Council member, said regarding the 'text bomb' from some hardline supporters, "I think such active expression of opinion should naturally be encouraged in a democratic society."

On the 28th, Kim said on KBS Radio's 'Choi Kyung-young's Strong Current Affairs,' "They may be described as hardline supporters, but I consider them supporters who actively express their opinions."

He added, "Especially for lawmakers, it is important to continuously listen to the voices of the people and party members. Since there are no communication channels or they are cut off, the only option is texts. If we expand the scope of communication beyond texts, there can be various ways to express opinions."

He continued, "In the past, President Kim Dae-jung said, 'At least curse at the wall.' So, I think the texts sent by our Democratic Party members now are such expressions, and I believe they should be encouraged."

Regarding the criticism that text bombs could be a means to control lawmakers, he responded, "If the content constitutes threats serious enough to be criminal, that goes beyond the realm of freedom of expression and is a separate issue. But within the scope of freedom of expression, there should be no restrictions; rather, it should be encouraged, and we should fully listen to those opinions."

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