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| A May 20 screenshot of a Wikipedia page praising Yoo Byung-eun has now been edited. / Korea Times |
By Kim Da-ye
Followers of the Salvation Sect are conducting a systematic disinformation campaign in foreign media aimed at portraying their alleged leader Yoo Byung-eun as a victim of state persecution.
The 73-year-old de-facto owner of the sunken ferry Sewol is on the run to evade answering allegations of improperly managing the operations of the company that ran the vessel and other affiliates.
During one of the sect's several rallies staged in Geumsuwon, its main base, its members carried placards written in English. One read, "Mr. Gerry Spencer. We don't have a voice in Korea. Please do something. Hannah."
"Thank you Mr. Mike von Joel. Stand up for AHAE. We won't forget you," read another.
They are apparently referencing the Wikipedia entry about Ahae, Yoo's pseudonym as a photographer.
The entry was created initially to promote Yoo as a photographer, but it has since become a channel to defend him against allegations of wrongdoing in the Sewol disaster.
"Simply put, AHAE does not own any shares, has any business dealings with, or is involved in the day-to-day operations of Chonghaejin Marine Co. Ltd."
The entry once, said although that has since been deleted.
The entry was created on May 16 by a Wikipedia user named "Ogtlife." The short entry mainly highlighted Yoo's photography and described him as an "inventor, entrepreneur, philanthropist, environmental activist, martial arts specialist, painter, sculptor, poet and photographer." Another user, Ahaepressinc, apparently the publisher of Yoo's photography works, edited the entry the next day, the history shows.
On May 19, one user wrote about Yoo's connection to Chonghaejin Marine, the Sewol's operator, for the first time. This unnamed person wrote that Yoo is "the head of the family owning Chonghaejin Marine, the operator of the MS Sewol which sank on April 16, 2014,"
Another user called Junganghansik added Yoo's religious activities to the entry, saying that he was the leader of a religious cult in the 1980s. The Odaeyang incident, the mass suicide of cultists in 1987 was also added. Junganghansik describes himself as "a professional editor and amateur historian."
The next day, Ogtlife, the creator of the entry, carried out a major update in defense of Yoo, saying that, "Contrary to media reports, Ahae has no stake in the ferry company and his two sons have an indirect stake of only 10% in the ferry company. The Korean government has a history of influencing mainstream media to further its agenda and to divert attention away from their own responsibilities related to the Sewol tragedy."
As soon as the prosecution cleared the Salvation Sect of involvement in the Odaeyang incident as part of its negotiations with it to enter its compound, Ogtlife added a new entry, "Contrary to reports indicating Yoo's connection to the mass suicide cult Odaeyang, the prosecutor's definitely and officially confirmed that there was no connection with Odaeyang and Yoo."
The entry will most likely be edited further. Wikipedia has warned that the entry needs "additional citations for verification" and is being considered for deletion in line with its deletion policy.
Yoo and his supporters have also set up a website called Ahae News (ahaenews.com) to defend his reputation as a photographer.
The website contains video interviews with Henri Loyrette, a former director of the Louvre Museum; Catherine Pegard, president of the Palace of Versailles; Mike von Joel, editor in chief of State Media, a London-based art magazine; and Milan Knizak, former general director of the National Gallery in Prague. They have all been involved in Yoo's exhibitions.
The news section includes endorsement letters from von Joel, Knizak and other heads of the venues that hosted Yoo's exhibitions.
Mike von Joel's letter written on April 23, for example, says, "I am personally appalled at the grotesque distortions being aimed at the artist AHAE all of which appear to be completely fabricated and without foundation." He refers to allegations that Yoo paid billions of won to have an exhibition at the Tuileries Garden in Paris hosted by the Louvre Museum.
Before setting up Ahae News, Yoo distributed a press release through PR Newswire attached with endorsement letters from von Joel and Knizak. The press release was in English, not Korean.
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