Frame wars heat up over Cho Kuk

By Kim Hyun-bin

Online frame wars are excessively heating up these days between supporters and opponents of Justice Minister nominee Cho Kuk as they have coined taglines to win favorable opinions for their sides.

In the wake of a series of allegations linked to Cho and his family, the nominee, a close aide to President Moon Jae-in, has been pressured to withdraw his nomination, leading his supporters to start an online movement, Tuesday, to craft slogans supportive of the nominee on major portals like Naver and Daum.

On Friday morning, the new phrase “I want to watch Cho's confirmation hearing” ranked high on both portals. It refers to Cho's scheduled National Assembly hearing on Monday and Tuesday in the face of political attacks from the opposition bloc. On Thursday, “political prosecutors out” floated by the Cho supporters was the real-time second-most-searched keyword at Daum.

“Cheer up Cho Kuk” was the first phrase supporting the nominee that topped the list of the most popular searches on Tuesday, followed by “Korean journalism dead” and “fake news out” on Wednesday, both which are directed at established media outlets reporting negative news on Cho.

In response, opponents of Cho have also pushed their catchphrase “Step down Cho Kuk” to counter the supportive messages. “Stand firm Cho Kuk” and “Cho Kuk step down” appeared together on the top search list, Tuesday.

Former lawmaker Rhyu Si-min and Moon Jun-yong, President Moon's son, added fuel to the online struggle.

Rhyu, a popular liberal politician and chairman of the Roh Moo-hyun Foundation, criticized prosecutors' recent investigations of Cho and his families, denouncing them as “inappropriate.”

“I think Prosecutor-General Yoon Seok-youl believes Cho's resignation is the best scenario for the nation and many prosecutors don't want Cho to become the justice minister,” Rhyu said during an interview with a local radio show, Thursday. “The investigation gives a perception that Cho might be a suspect and the case might turn out ugly, trying to make Cho step down.”

Moon also posted a message for Cho's besieged daughter on Facebook, saying, “Speak up if you want, these allegations are unfair.”

He added, “If you are hiding from reporters thinking you might make a mistake, you don't have to, even though I did. This might be your parents' fight, but soon it could become yours.”

Prosecutors have been investigating Cho's 28-year-old daughter to see whether her false credentials of being cited as the lead author in an academic research paper, just after a two-week internship at Dankook University, helped her enroll at Korea University in 2010.

The research was published in the Korean Journal of Pathology in 2008 and many believe her false credentials got her a spot at Korea University. She currently attends Pusan National University's medical school and has also received scholarships for which she is not qualified.

Six out of 10 Koreans oppose Cho as justice minister, according to a Gallup Korea poll released Friday.

The poll of 1,004 adults conducted from Tuesday to Thursday nationwide found 57 percent opposed Cho's appointment as justice minister, whereas 27 percent expressed support for him. The remaining 16 percent said they don't have an opinion. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points with a confidence level of 95 percent.