hankyoreh

staff photographer)

By Park Hyun-chul, Jung Hwan-bong and Heo Seong, staff reporters

On Dec. 14, more facts came to light about illegal social media activity by the election camp of Park Geun-hye, presidential candidate for the Saenuri Party (NFP). The Seoul Metropolitan Election Commission announced that the rent for the office in Yeouido where the activity took place had been paid for by a Saenuri Party members, surnamed Kwon and Kim, chair of the state affairs and public relations committee for Park's election committee and Kim, the vice-chair. As suspicion increases that the Saenuri Party was complicit in the illegal election activity that took place in the office, attention is focusing on what effect this may have on the election, which will take place on Dec. 19.

The Commission found eight people who are believed to have been hired to set up a temporary office and posted comments online that are favorable to Park, among other illegal election activities. Commission officers also reported the social media company’s CEO, Yun Jeong-hun, to the Seoul Central Prosecutors' Office on charges of violating the public election law. The prosecution has taken possession of the computers that the Commission confiscated from the office in Seoul’s Yeouido neighborhood and the investigation is set to start with analysis of the computers’ contents.

"Last night, our special operation team investigated the people who are suspected of violating the election law. What we found is that Yun Jeong-hun, general supervisor of the state affairs and public relations committee and social media director for the people benefits committee for Park Geun-hye's election committee, established a social media company at J Office Building in the Yeouido neighborhood of Yeongdeungpo district in September 2012. He hired seven employees who then participated in the election campaign by posting things on Twitter that support Park and criticize Moon and then retweeting them," a representative for the Election Commission said.

"We discovered that the results of the employees' retweeting work were summarized in the ‘Social Media Activity Report of the Special Committee for Household Debt for Park Geun-hye,’ which was submitted frequently to Ahn Sang-su, chairman of the Saenuri Party household debt special committee. Another discovery was that the rent for the office was partially paid by someone with the surname Kwon, chair of the state affairs and public relations committee with Park's election committee, and someone surnamed Kim, the vice-chair."



Supporters of Park's bid for president were hoping to make up for her poor showing online, but the rash move seems to have backfired. The conservative camp tried to use out-of-date methods to overcome their "social media complex," but they only ended up with egg on their face.

"Compared with two years ago, the number of online accounts that adopt a conservative or pro-Park stance has increased considerably, and there are more people who show noticeably pro-Park positions. Many times, you find yourself wondering if these users are being mobilized by some organization," said Jang Deok-jin, a professor of sociology at Seoul National University.

"However, in the online marketplace of ideas, dialogue is key. It’s crucial to remember that disjointed and distorted ideas can’t last there for long."

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