Twitter becomes tool to make personal attacks

By Kang Hyun-kyung

Some politicians have come under fire for abusing Twitter and other social media as tools to make personal attacks on their opponents by raising suspicions or making scathing remarks.

Analysts describe their abuse of social media as political suicide, urging them to refrain from doing so. The warning comes as some lawmakers have gone too far.

On Wednesday, Rep. Koh Seung-duk of the ruling Grand National Party (GNP) accused his fellow lawmaker Chung Doo-un, of taking issue with his previous Twitter message.

“I believe Rep. Lee Sang-deuk, brother of President Lee Myung-bak, is one of your chief supporters. Mine was former National Assembly Speaker Kim Hyong-o,” Koh said in his tweet.

“I make this clear because you intentionally didn’t clarify who my political mentor is. In your tweet, you called me ‘a step-son of Mr. Somebody,’ making people believe that the person you mentioned is President Lee’s brother, which is not true.”

Koh is a whistle-blower, who disclosed the cash-for-votes scandal involving incumbent National Assembly Speaker Park Hee-tae.

The lawyer-turned-lawmaker claimed Rep. Park offered him 3 million won in 2008 when was competing for the party’s chairmanship. Koh said he refused the “vote-buying” attempt by returning the money to Park’s aide immediately.

Rep. Chung and other GNP lawmakers are suspicious of Koh’s motives, saying his revelation dealt a serious blow to the already-embattled ruling party.

Some of them alleged he was attempting to curry favor with Rep. Park Geun-hye for job security as Park is in charge of coming up with a method to select candidates to run in the general election on April 11.

Koh’s Twitter message came a day after Rep. Chung made sarcastic tweets about Koh regarding his whistle-blowing act.

“Alas, I had never thought that Rep. Koh, who was once called the step son of Mr. Somebody, would turn out to be a terminator destroying the GNP,” Chung said in his post. “No matter what his motive is behind the whistle-blowing, I believe Koh has no idea of what he has done.”

Jang Hoon, professor of political science at Chung-Ang University in Seoul, lamented the politicians’ childish use of social media as a vehicle to accuse their colleagues.

He said this displays typical abuse of social media.

Jang said it is obvious that Reps. Koh and Chung crossed the line when tweeting and retweeting.

“They are immature, and there seems to be no doubt their image as politicians will be negatively affected,” he said.

Feuds caused by social networking services sometimes escalate into offline legal fights.

This was illustrated well when Rep. Kang Yong-seok took legal action against Lee Jun-seok, a member of the GNP’s emergency committee, with regard to his alleged violation of the Military Draft Law.

Kang claimed the 26-year-old GNP member didn’t work for 10 consecutive days in 2010 while doing an industrial traineeship, an alternative form of mandatory military service.

During the 10-day period, Lee took a program run by the Ministry of Knowledge Economy.

According to the lawyer-turned-lawmaker, Lee’s 10-day absence is a violation of the draft law as it prohibits trainees from missing eight or more days while in service.

Lee denied the allegation, saying he didn’t miss any single working day while in service as he went back to workplace after attending the two-hour course that lasted for 10 days.

Earlier this week, Rep. Kang filed a complaint against Lee days after the two went emotional after trading barbs through their tweeter.

In his posting, Kang wondered if Lee was mature enough to have a greater say in the ruling party.

Hours later, Lee fired back at Kang in his tweet after being informed of Kang’s previous message. Kang hit back at Lee again, which was followed by Lee’s retweeting.

While exchanging barbs, the two focused on personal issues.

Kang said he wondered why Rep. Yoo Seung-min recommended Park Geun-hye, the GNP’s interim leader, to consider hiring Lee, who was a summer intern for Yoo, for the key ruling party post.

Lee said Kang overreacted to him as the lawmaker was forced to leave the GNP after he made sexually inappropriate descriptions of female TV news show hosts.

SNS 통해 온라인으로 확산된 구태정치

정치인들의 구태정치가 SNS를 통해 오프라인에서 온라인으로 확산되고 있다. 소셜미디어의 막대한 영향력이 선거에서 입증되면서 대부분의 정치인들이 트위터 등 SNS를 활용해 적극적으로 의견을 개진하면서 일부의원들간에 SNS를 통해 공방이 계속되고 있다.
이들의 공방은 정책 보다는 상대방 정치인들에 대한 개인적 공격에 초점이 맞춰져 있다는 점에서 온라인으로 구태정치가 확산되는 것 아니냐는 우려를 자아 내고 있다.

최근 박희태 국회의장측으로부터 돈봉투 제공을 공개한 한나라당 고승덕 의원은 10일 자신의 트위터를 통해 자신을 공격한 정두언의원에게 일침을 가했다. “정두언 선배님, 너무합니다. 선배님의 후원회장은 SD이셨고 제 후원회장은 오랫동안 김형오 의장이셨는데 선배님이 저를 누구 양아들이라고 트위터에 올리고. 남들이마치 그것이 SD를 말하는 것처럼 오인하게 만드셔서 어이 없습니다.”

고승덕의원의 이 같은 발언은 하루 전인 9일 정두언 의원이 자신의 트위터에 “한때 누구의 양아들이라 불리던 고시남 고승덕의원이 한나라당을 최종정리하는 역할을 할 줄이야. 하기야 자기도 스스로가 무슨 일을 한 것인지 모를 수도.”라는 글을 남긴 것에 대한 대응이었다.

무소속 강용석 의원은 이준석 한나라당 비대위원과 몇차례 트위터 공방을 주고 받은 이후, 병역법 위반 혐의가 있다며 이준석 비대위원을 서울중앙지법에 고발한 상태이다. 이준석 비대위원은 병역법 위반이 아니라고 맞서고 있다.

정치인들의 트위터가 활성화 되면서 정책 등 주요 현안에 대한 담론이 아닌 상대 정치인에 대한 공격이 주를 이루고 있다는 점이 “공적인 담론, 정치 토론과 사적인 대화, 중얼거림간 경계가 모호해지는 상황”이라고 중앙대 장훈교수는 지적하면서 이 같은 현상은 정치인들의 명성과 인지도에도 부정적인 영향을 미치게 될 것이라고 지적했다.