Choi Hee-yeon (41), a gold medalist in women's swimming at the 1998 Bangkok Asian Games, posted an apology on her social media (SNS) after making derogatory remarks about the May 18 Democracy Movement and facing accusations.
On the 8th, she posted on her SNS thread, "The thing I always say. The May 18 is a riot!" She wrote in the post, "A riot united by rebellious spirit! But the idea of incorporating the spirit of May 18 into the constitution just makes me sigh."
As a result, Choi Hee-yeon was accused of violating the prohibition against the dissemination of false facts under the Special Act on the May 18 Democracy Movement. The legal punishment under the Special Act on the May 18 Democracy Movement is up to 5 years in prison or a fine of up to 50 million won.
The accuser stated, "It distorts the essence of the Gwangju Democracy Movement that occurred on May 18, 1980, and contains content that contradicts historically established facts through national laws and judicial decisions," adding, "The accused publicly referred to it as a 'riot,' thereby distorting it and violating the prohibition against dissemination of false facts stipulated in Article 8, Section 1 of the Special Act on the May 18 Democracy Movement."
As the backlash grew, Choi Hee-yeon posted on SNS, "I deeply apologize to the innocent citizens who were harmed by the May 18 incident."
She stated, "I offer my apologies to those who passed away while shouting for democracy," and added, "I want to make it clear that the part I wanted to criticize does not refer to the innocent and noble spirits."
A day later, on the 9th, she captured and posted a statement asserting that "the May 18 is a riot" and said, "I was ignorant and commented 'riot' on this post after seeing it. I sincerely apologize to those who were misunderstood and hurt by that."