Itaewon 'Makmal' Controversy: Assemblywoman Kim Mina Faces Court

Kim Mina, a member of the People Power Party and the Changwon Special City Council in Gyeongnam, who was referred to the prosecution over controversy for posting ‘inflammatory remarks’ about the Itaewon disaster, will stand trial.

The Masan Branch of the Changwon District Prosecutors' Office announced on the 27th that Kim was indicted without detention on charges of insult.

Kim Mina, a city council member of Changwon-si, Gyeongnam, is apologizing for the controversy at the city council.
[Photo by Lee Seryeong]

Kim posted derogatory comments about the bereaved families of the Itaewon disaster and members of the Cargo Solidarity Union on her social networking service (SNS), leading to defamation and insult charges filed against her by the affected parties.

In November last year, regarding the Itaewon disaster, she posted, “The bereaved families who kill the souls that went to heaven at such a young age like flowers for the second time!! #Masters of exploitation #People say they sell their children for business #Is this the second Sewol ferry disaster? #Did they die saving the country?”

The day before, she wrote, “Those from the Democratic Party have exploited the yellow ribbon for about 8 to 9 years, and now how much will they exploit the black ribbon? #Corpse-selling scoundrels #Heroes who saved the country? #Enough already!!”

A post uploaded by Mina Kim, a council member of Changwon City, Gyeongnam, on social networking service (SNS). [Image source=Facebook of Council Member Mina Kim]

Regarding the Cargo Solidarity Union, she is accused of writing, “Unbelievable bastards who dare to rebel against the country” and posting a photo of Lee Bong-ju, the head of the Cargo Solidarity Union, with the comment “They look damn miserable.”

The Gyeongnam Provincial Police Agency reviewed Kim’s posts and the relevant laws and concluded that applying defamation charges would be difficult, so they applied only insult charges and sent the case to the prosecution with a recommendation for indictment.

Earlier, amid calls for her resignation from various sectors due to the controversy, Kim received a suspension from attending the city council on the 30th and was disciplined with a six-month suspension of party membership rights by the People Power Party’s Gyeongnam Provincial Ethics Committee.

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