Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon filed a complaint with the police against those who spread fake news about his birthplace.
According to the Seoul city government on the 15th, Mayor Oh submitted a complaint to the Seoul Namdaemun Police Station against five individuals, including Mr. Park, on charges of defamation (under the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection) on December 27, 2024.
According to the complaint, Mr. Park, a reporter for an internet media outlet, and Mr. Bang posted an article on the outlet's site with the title 'Oh Se-hoon, who is from Damyang, Jeollado, was deceived,' containing derogatory expressions such as 'traitor' and 'like a watermelon, green on the outside but red on the inside.'
However, this is not true. Mayor Oh has no ties to Damyang, Jeollanam-do.
According to the Seoul city government, Mayor Oh is the 13th descendant of the Haeju Oh clan from Yongin and has lived in Seoul for generations. He was born in Seongdong District, Seoul, and spent his childhood in Samyang-dong, Gangbuk District, Seoul.
Mr. Kim, who was also sued, posted articles on internet cafes referring to Mayor Oh with titles like 'Right-wing during the day, left-wing at night.' The posts reportedly contained claims that TBS pays Mr. Kim Eo-joon tens of millions of won in annual salary or that Mayor Oh could not have Mr. Kim removed from TBS due to his opposition. There were also expressions suggesting that 'Seoul City is renting an office to the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) for free.'
Mayor Oh stated in the complaint, 'They publicly disclosed false facts through the information communication network, thereby damaging my reputation.' A city official noted, 'This complaint will serve as a wake-up call to the prevalence of false information,' adding, 'We will promptly request police investigations into any further cases of false information and distortions that significantly impact the administration.'