Doubt Cast Over Minerva Identity
By Kim Rahn
Staff Reporter
Fresh doubt has been cast over the identity of Internet economist ``Minerva'' after the latest issue of a monthly magazine carried an interview with the alleged ``real Minerva.''
Park Dae-seong was arrested after claiming to be the controversial online commentator, but speculation is growing over whether or not he is the genuine article.
The February edition of Shindonga claimed that a group of seven different finance experts posted the articles that led to the outrage and ultimate arrest under the name Minerva.
The magazine, published Monday, carried an interview with the ``real Minerva,'' but his name was not disclosed. The same person contributed an article to the Shindonga in December, in which he forecast that the Korean economy would collapse before March and that the stock market index would fall to 500 points.
But when prosecutors arrested the 30-year-old, unemployed Park ― who has no background in finance ― he claimed he had never contributed to the magazine, although he admitted that he was Minerva. Park was accused of posting false information on Dec. 29 under the user ID that led to the government issuing a statement that banned major banks from buying dollars to help stop the won's fall against the dollar.
According to Shindonga, the interviewee said that a group of seven people wrote the controversial comments using the name Minerva. He identified himself as the main writer and that the group knew nothing about Park.
``I have worked at three financial organizations and now work as an investment consultant. We have posted about 500 pieces of writings on portal site Daum since December 2007. We did so because we wanted to arouse the attention of everyday people to the economic difficulty,'' he told Shindonga.
He claimed that the other members of the so-called writing team are also involved in the financial arena and that they each take charge of collecting and analyzing information about foreign currency, real estate, stocks and bonds.
In reference to an article posted Dec. 29, the interviewee said, ``I was abroad when it was posted. I read it later and was bewildered.''
Responding to the latest claims, the prosecution said it considers the Shindonga report unreliable. ``It is hard to believe that a team of several people worked together,'' a member of the prosecution team said.
They confirmed that the articles written under the name Minerva had been posted through two IP addresses. ``Whether or not Park is the Minerva in the Shindonga report, it is clear that Park posted the false article on Dec. 29 under the ID,'' the prosecutor said.
Speaking through his lawyer, Park also denied the magazine's claims. ``Park felt unpleasant for being treated as the `fake Minerva' by Shindonga. We suspect the interviewee is the actual fake one who used the ID by stealth,'' the lawyer said.
The prosecution plans to indict Park later this week for an alleged violation of the electricity and telecommunications law.