Opinion rigging case hits ruling party
Rep. Kim Kyoung-soo of the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) answers questions after having a press conference at the National Assembly, Saturday. A media outlet reported that Kim is suspected of being involved with rigging online comments with DPK members in the last presidential election. Kim reputed the allegation. / Yonhap
By Park Ji-won
A ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) lawmaker may face an investigation in connection with an online smear campaign conducted by three former DPK members against President Moon Jae-in.
The three were arrested in January. According to media reports, however, one of the three had long been communicating with DPK lawmaker Kim Kyoung-soo, considered a loyalist of President Moon.
Police suspect the former DPK members posted anti-Moon comments online to pose as conservatives who loathe the President, and thus, create sympathy for Moon among readers.
Opposition parties demanded a full-fledged investigation, alleging that Kim might have been behind the rigging case.
The allegation surfaced Saturday through a media report. The three DPK members were investigated for allegedly rigging public opinion by using a computer program before the last presidential election.
The three used the rigging program to increase the number of “likes” on online comments against the Moon government posted on the leading search website Naver to be seen as a manipulation by conservatives and as part of a trial run out of the program.
During the police investigation, the three had been in contact with DPK’s lawmaker Kim Kyoung-soo to exchange opinions through instant message application “Telegram” regarding how to deal with public opinions, the media said.
Rep. Kim refuted the allegation saying he admits that he received one of the three’s messages, but it was not related to the rigging. He emphasized the allegation is untrue.
Rep. Kim has been nominated as the DPK’s candidate to run for governor of South Gyeongsang Province in the June 13 local elections.
“The three volunteered to help Moon Jae-in and asked for too much of a reward,” Rep. Kim Kyoung-soo said during a press conference Saturday.
“It is essential to know that they were bearing a grudge for being rejected, and criticized the government using a computer program called Macro on purpose.”
The opposition parties are likely to continue to call for Kim to prove himself as innocent urging him to disclose the messages with the person and take the prosecutor’s investigation, while the ruling party went all-out to protect Kim.
“His excuses are too long and pathetic,” said LKP spokesman Chang Je-won. He added that Kim should be under investigation.
The minor opposition Bareun Mirae Party (BMP) and the Party for Democracy and Peace have called for a thorough investigation into the case.
Ahn Cheol-soo, the Seoul mayor candidate for the BMP, held the press conference in which is known as the office for rigging comments in Paju to criticize the DPK, saying “its party members should be under thorough investigation led by a special team.”
The ruling party members rejected the suspicions as totally false, saying the case is nothing but a “witch hunt” that lacks sufficient evidence and is part of a political attack.
“We express our great concern over the political forces and media reports promoting that Kim was behind all of this,” said Baek Hye-ryun, a party spokeswoman, Sunday.
Prominent politicians from the DPK, Seoul mayor Park Won-soon and former Seongnam Mayor Lee Jae-myung also released comments in favor of Rep. Kim Kyoung-soo regarding the issue.