“Without even having Korean nationality...” Canadian expatriate JK Kim Dong-wook has been accused of spreading false information against President Lee Jae-myung
Canadian singer JK Kim Dong-wook has been accused of spreading false information against President Lee Jae-myung and the current government.
Shin Seung-mok, representative of the People's Participation Coalition for the Elimination of Corruption, submitted a complaint against JK Kim Dong-wook on the grounds of violating the Information and Communications Network Act (defamation by false facts) to the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency on the 15th.
Representative Shin noted that he had previously warned about the complaint starting from the 10th, stating, “JK Kim Dong-wook is spreading false information about President Lee Jae-myung and the presidential office and is continuously disseminating fake news with malicious intent.” He emphasized, “Whether a person holds Canadian citizenship or not, there are no exceptions before the law,” and expressed a firm stance, saying, “We filed the complaint carrying the people's wishes, without favoring anyone, be they a celebrity or an ordinary person.”
In fact, JK Kim Dong-wook has repeatedly made extreme claims and false news-like remarks against President Lee Jae-myung and the current government through his social media. Since the presidential election, he has denied the fact that President Lee Jae-myung and former U.S. President Donald Trump had a conversation, and claimed that the invitation to the G7 summit was fake news, spreading unfounded conspiracy theories and escalating controversy.
In particular, he has consistently denied and supported controversies surrounding former President Yoon Suk-yeol’s state of emergency and impeachment possibilities, while continuing to make extreme right-wing statements against specific parties and individuals.
However, JK Kim Dong-wook is currently an overseas citizen without domestic voting rights. Born in 1975, he emigrated to Canada with his family during his high school years, which is known to have exempted him from military service and caused him to give up his Korean nationality.
Against this backdrop, criticism is growing regarding foreign individuals who cannot exert political influence continuously spreading fake news about domestic authorities. Among netizens, reactions include, “Why are you involved in politics if you are not Korean?”, “Criticism is free, but spreading false information has crossed the line”, and “This is just an act that incites political hatred.”
Attention is focused on whether this complaint will actually lead to legal punishment and what judgment the judiciary will make regarding JK Kim Dong-wook's extreme political statements.
[OSEN]