Gwangju City Welcomes "Justice Served" in Ji Manwon's Damages Ruling for Historical Distortion

"Significance in Upholding Historical Truth"
Calls for Introduction of Punitive Damages System

Gwangju City Hall exterior view.

On August 21, Gwangju City welcomed the Gwangju District Court's ruling that recognized Ji Manwon's liability for damages for distorting the May 18 Democratization Movement, describing the decision as "justice served."

The court ordered Ji to pay 10 million KRW each to the May 18 Memorial Foundation and two democracy merit recipients, and to pay an additional 2 million KRW for each instance of redistributing the false information.

In a press release issued the same day, the city stated, "This ruling demonstrates the judiciary's firm stance against the malicious dissemination of false information about the May 18 Movement," adding, "It holds significant meaning in establishing historical truth." The city particularly noted that the court clearly confirmed that Ji's claims, including the so-called "42 decisive pieces of evidence of North Korean involvement in the May 18 operation," were fabricated and false information.

The city announced that, taking this ruling as an opportunity, it will continue all administrative and legal measures to correct historical distortion and to prevent the May 18 Democratization Movement from being disparaged by false and manipulated information.

Furthermore, the city will apply a zero-tolerance policy toward acts of historical distortion and will continue to promote education and truth-telling initiatives to establish a correct historical perspective together with citizens.

Additionally, the city pointed out, "Current systems alone are insufficient to remedy the damage and prevent recurrence caused by the malicious spread of false and manipulated information," and called on the National Assembly and the government to introduce a punitive damages system.

The city also addressed Sky Daily, which recently changed its reporting stance on the May 18 Democratization Movement, highlighting the seriousness of its past distorted and disparaging coverage. The city stated that the outlet must apologize to victims and citizens, delete the articles in question, and implement measures to prevent recurrence.

Park Yongsoo, Director of the Department of Democracy, Human Rights, and Peace, emphasized, "This ruling will serve as an important milestone in protecting the historical truth of the May 18 Democratization Movement," adding, "Gwangju City will continue to do its utmost to protect citizens from false and manipulated information, and to uphold the values of democracy, human rights, and peace."

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