Park Jumin "Text Bombs? ... I Also Receive Many Protest Calls, It's Something You Experience When Doing Politics"

"Not Only Pro-Moon Supporters Send Text Bombs"
"Democracy Is a Dialogue Among Many Perspectives, Facing Various Expressions of Opinion"

Park Ju-min, Member of the Democratic Party of Korea / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] Park Jumin, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, said about the so-called 'text bomb' actions by some hardline party members, "I also receive a lot of protest texts and calls," adding, "It is something that people who want to engage in politics under democracy have to experience." This is interpreted as a statement that elected members of the National Assembly should humbly accept criticism from some supporters.

On the 30th, during an appearance on MBC Radio's 'Kim Jongbae's Focus,' Park said, "Last year, there were days when tens of thousands of texts came in to the point that my phone would turn off," and shared his experience related to the 'text bomb,' saying, "Last year, my child was very sick and I had to call the emergency room, but I couldn't use the phone, which made me very anxious."

Regarding claims that certain politicians benefited from the 'text bomb,' he said, "I think there is a misunderstanding," and pointed out, "Some people supposedly benefit from the so-called text bomb, and some do not. It is not correct to see it that way."

He continued, "(Text bombs) react and move depending on the issue," and explained, "It is not only pro-Moon Jae-in supporters who send text bombs."

He added, "When I look at the texts, sometimes they are from pro-Moon supporters, and sometimes they are not."

Park said, "Democracy is a dialogue among numerous subjective opinions," and "We have to face expressions of opinion called text bombs. If there is a problem, persuasion or communication should be done."

However, he requested, "I hope people refrain from personal insults or severe profanity."

Cho Eung-cheon, Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker / Photo by Yonhap News

Meanwhile, on the previous day (29th), Assemblyman Cho appeared on CBS Radio's 'Kim Hyunjung's News Show' and publicly criticized the 'text bomb.' On that day, Cho pointed out, "Because about 2,000 hardline supporters of the Democratic Party are so actively involved, the voices of 700,000 (registered party members) are drowned out by these 2,000."

Cho also revealed some of the text bombs he actually received from hardline supporters. Most of them were mocking remarks such as, "If you wanted to let people know that you are trash, you succeeded, congratulations," and "All of you and your group should leave the party and stop tarnishing the Democratic Party's name."

Regarding this, Cho urged, "(The new leadership of the Democratic Party) should ask those sending text bombs to restrain themselves," and said, "You should explicitly say, 'Because of you, the public sentiment and party sentiment are being excessively represented by you, and this is increasingly seen as representing the public sentiment. So please restrain yourselves.'"

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