Ruling Party: "'Lee Jae-myung Game' No.1 ID 'SarajinChobap1Inbun' Files Cyber Attack Complaint"…Opposition Calls It "Absurd"

OTT Platform 'Jaeming' Ranks Lee-Related Suspicious Nicknames High
Ruling Party: "Freedom of Expression Must Be Guaranteed, But Deviant and Criminal Acts Cannot Be Protected"
Opposition: "It's Absurd to Sue Over Content Made for People's Enjoyment"

As the Democratic Party of Korea announced legal action after the online video service (OTT) platform 'Jaeming' of presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung (left) was subjected to a cyberattack, the People Power Party criticized it as "absurd." On the right is the game ranking of 'Jaeming,' the online video service (OTT) platform of Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party of Korea's presidential candidate.

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyun-joo] The Democratic Party of Korea's Election Countermeasures Committee (ECC) announced legal action after claiming that 'Jaeming,' the online video service (OTT) platform of presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung, was subjected to a cyberattack. In response, the People Power Party criticized the move, saying, "It's absurd to file a lawsuit over content created for the public's enjoyment."

On the 22nd, the ECC's Public Relations and Communication Headquarters stated, "We have filed a complaint with the Cyber Investigation Unit of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency against unidentified individuals regarding the cyberattack on the site's game that occurred shortly after the 'Jaeming' platform opened at midnight on the 15th."

The ECC claimed, "This constitutes a violation of the Information and Communications Network Act concerning unauthorized intrusion and data alteration, as well as obstruction of business under the Criminal Act," adding, "A review of the 'FM Korea' online community board at the time confirms organized incitement to alter scores and nicknames."

According to the Democratic Party, these individuals infiltrated the information network of the online game within the 'Jaeming' site and manipulated game scores with defamatory nicknames targeting the candidate, ensuring these nicknames ranked high. When a player ranks within the top 1 to 10, their nickname is displayed on the leaderboard.

Among the top ranks in one of the 'Jaeming' games, many nicknames indirectly pointed to allegations related to the candidate. The user who ranked first used the nickname 'SarajinChobapSibinbun' (Ten Portions of Missing Sushi), which appears to target recent allegations of private use of corporate credit cards involving Lee's spouse, Kim Hye-kyung. Other nicknames appearing in the rankings included 'BeopkaSseugoSipda' (I Want to Use the Corporate Card) at 5th place, 'HyegyeonggungSushiya' (Queen Hyegyeong Sushi) at 6th, and 'GuknaeChoegoHoengseongHanwoo' (The Nation's Best Hoengseong Hanwoo) at 9th. Additionally, nicknames like 'Park Inbok Hyeongsu' (Brother-in-law Park Inbok) at 7th and 'Hyeongsunim' (Sister-in-law) at 9th have been analyzed as criticisms related to the candidate's 'brother-in-law curse' controversy.

The ECC emphasized, "Freedom of expression must be maximally guaranteed during election campaigns," but added, "However, actions that exceed constitutionally guaranteed limits and constitute criminal acts cannot be protected."

On the 23rd, Lee Jun-seok, the leader of the People Power Party, posted on his Facebook criticizing the Democratic Party's campaign committee's legal response. Photo by Lee, leader's Facebook capture

This sparked a wave of criticism from the People Power Party. On the 23rd, Lee Jun-seok, leader of the People Power Party, posted on his Facebook, "No matter how uncomfortable the top-ranked name 'SarajinChobapSibinbun' is, filing a lawsuit is absurd," and pointed out, "This content was created with public funds for people to play and enjoy, so it's ridiculous to sue them for enjoying it."

Won Hee-ryong, head of the People Power Party's Election Countermeasures Policy Headquarters, also wrote on Facebook that day, "If anyone has been sued by the Democratic Party over the Jaeming game, please contact me. I will help you," adding, "There seem to be quite a few people who have been reported by candidate Lee Jae-myung and the Democratic Party. I will collect all cases, statistics, and related materials."

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