Posts mocking independence activists spread on social media ahead of Liberation Day

Posts mocking Korean independence activists are circulating on social media platforms ahead of Liberation Day. 

“There are absurd posts that rate the appearance of independence activists, rank their contributions or compare them to [characters] or idols that people like,” said Sungshin Women’s University Prof. Seo Kyoung-duk on Monday. “This appears to be a strategy in which users post famous independence activists such as Ahn Jung-geun, Yu Gwan-sun and Kim Gu to boost their account’s engagement.”

Korea’s Liberation Day falls on Aug. 15. 

Similar derisive images of Yu (1902-1920) and Ahn (1879-1910) had run rampant online during this year’s anniversary of the March 1 Movement against the 1910-45 Japanese colonial rule. 

“After reviewing TikTok and various social media platforms ahead of Liberation Day, I found that posts mocking independence activists are still widespread,” Seo said. 

Punishing the creators of such images is not easy, according to legal experts. The charge of insult does not apply to deceased individuals, and defamation of the dead is only established when the defendant asserts false facts.

“When you come across these posts, the most important thing is to report them to prevent them from spreading,” Seo said. “Platforms also need to strengthen their monitoring to prevent similar posts from being repeatedly uploaded.”

BY KIM HYUN-DONG [lee.jian@joongang.co.kr]