"Seventeen Years of Mocking Former President Roh: No More Tolerance... Son-in-law Takes Legal Action"

Assemblyman Kwak Holds Press Conference, Announces Plan for Criminal Complaint

"Former President Roh's Grandchildren Face Hateful Content Mocking Their Grandfather's Death"

Kwak Sang-eon, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, announced his intention to file a criminal complaint regarding malicious false posts about the late former President Roh Moo-hyun.

On May 13, during a press conference at the National Assembly, Assemblyman Kwak stated, "Today, my wife and I are submitting a criminal complaint for defamation of the deceased regarding malicious false posts about former President Roh." Kwak is the son-in-law of the late President Roh. He added, "We are also filing for a court injunction to request the removal of, and to prohibit the neglect of, false, insulting, and hateful posts about former President Roh that are circulating on the internet and YouTube. Starting today, we will gradually proceed with criminal complaints against hate content targeting President Roh that is rampant online, and if necessary, we will also pursue civil lawsuits for damages."

Kwak Sangun, a member of the Democratic Party, is appearing on The Asia Business Daily's "So Jongseop's Current Affairs Show" and being interviewed by specialist So Jongseop. Photo by Hyoyoung Han

Assemblyman Kwak explained, "It took me a long time to reach the decision to file a criminal complaint, as I was hesitant to place the name of someone who has passed away back into the center of unnecessary controversy." However, he lamented, "It has already been 17 years since former President Roh passed away, yet malicious hate posts are still spreading on the internet—wider, deeper, and in an even more malicious manner than before."

He continued, "My children are exposed to hateful content mocking the death of their grandfather through the internet, YouTube, and social media before they have even learned at school what kind of person their grandfather was. This is not something that happened 17 years ago; it is something that occurs anew every single day over the past 17 years," he lamented.

While expressing his respect for freedom of expression, Assemblyman Kwak emphasized, "Spreading blatant falsehoods as if they were facts and mocking the pain of the bereaved is neither democracy nor freedom of expression."

He also addressed platform operators, stating, "I call on DC Inside, Ilgan Best Storage, YouTube, and all other information and communication service providers: your platforms have become spaces where mocking death is normalized and playgrounds for learning hate. You must bear the corresponding responsibility." He added, "Starting today, through our legal counsel, our family will formally request each platform to delete and block such posts. We ask for your prompt cooperation."

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