hankyoreh

the chair of the Democratic Labor Party

It has been confirmed that police tried to reverse public opinion about the Yongsan redevelopment demonstration that left six people dead last week by ordering officials to participate in online polls about the incident and circulate video images of protesters engaging in acts of violence. Cheong Wa Dae also appears to be changing its position on whether it will rescind its nomination of Seoul Police Commissioner Kim Seok-ki as new chief of the National Police Agency.

According to remarks made Thursday by the Incheon Metropolitan Police Agency and rank-and-file police officers, the head office ordered district offices to post advertisements saying that the crackdown on residents and businesses in the Yongsan redevelopment zone by a special commando unit “was fair” and that “extreme resistance” by area residents and businesses caused the tragedy. IMPA also instructed personnel to disseminate the information using outside companies to diminish the likelihood of a possible backlash against police.

IMPA also sent e-mail messages attesting to the police’s use of fairness in carrying out the crackdown using a list of e-mail addresses it owns.

A university professor, who is only identified by the surname Park and serves as an adviser for an organization affiliated with the police, said, “I received an e-mail with a video attachment from the Incheon Police Agency on Wednesday. The video clip shows protesters preparing for the Jan. 20 demonstration and focuses on images of protesters hurling Molotov cocktails and destroying vehicles in the area. I was somewhat upset at this, because it seems to show a culture of avoiding responsibility within the police as an organization.”

A spokesperson at the police agency said in response, “We just wanted to let people know that the police were in an urgent situation involving the illegal occupation of the building from which the fire originated and the protest by Jun Chul Yun (the Federation Against House Demolition), and we had no choice but to send in our forces.”

Police are also suspected of having participated in another online poll conducted by the Internet Hankyoreh, based on fluctuations in responses to the poll on different days since the incident occurred. One question in the poll asked how the government should resolve the Yongsan tragedy.

The poll was posted Jan. 21, the day after the Yongsan incident occurred. In the beginning, the majority of respondents said Seoul Police Commissioner Kim should be fired.

However the results changed dramatically on Jan. 25, when 2,629 people said there should be an investigation to determine whether Kim should be fired. According to data compiled by the Internet Hankyoreh from that day, 1,581 of the 2,629 respondents took the poll using virtually the same Internet protocol addresses.

Despite the police’s apparent efforts to influence public opinion, presidential spokesman Lee Dong-kwan indicated Wednesday that Kim’s fate could ultimately depend on public opinion, saying, “Public opinion is changing.”

However, according to a poll of 2,657 adults nationwide conducted Wednesday by the Yeouido Institute, a think tank affiliated with the ruling Grand National Party, 52.7 percent of respondents said police are responsible for the Yongsan tragedy, while 36.3 percent answered that protesters are responsible. With regard to Police Commissioner Kim, 41.3 percent said he should step down, while 36.2 percent agreed with the government and ruling party’s desire for a fact-finding investigation before punishments are handed down.

Please direct questions or comments to [englishhani@hani.co.kr]