Ahead of Liberation Day, posts disparaging independence activists or distorting historical facts are appearing one after another on social media (SNS).
Seo Kyung-duk, a professor at Sungshin Women's University, said on the 13th on his social media that "based on tips from many netizens that I checked, the level of disparaging posts about independence activists in Threads is extremely serious."
According to Seo, posts have appeared in Threads that mock independence activists with profanity and demeaning expressions or contain content different from historical facts. Content that arbitrarily ranks the achievements of independence activists to devalue them was also identified.
Posts disclosed by Seo included content describing Kim Gu as a "convict with a record of murder and looting" or referring to Ahn Jung-geun as a "murderer." There were also posts that belittled the achievements of Yu Gwan-sun or mocked her by mentioning her alongside Yi Wan-yong. Content disparaging Yun Bong-gil and Lee Bong-chang was also included.
Seo noted, "No matter how much freedom of expression must be guaranteed, such wrong posts are nothing but a complete denial of solemn historical facts."
Earlier, Seo also pointed out that content mocking independence activists was spreading on TikTok ahead of Liberation Day.
He said, "Because Threads centers on text content, independence activists are being mocked in writing there, and on TikTok through videos and photos," adding, "this senseless behavior must now stop."
He also urged action by users and platforms. Seo stressed, "When netizens find such malicious content, it is important to file active reports so the posts are not exposed," adding, "Threads should also strengthen monitoring so such harmful posts are no longer left unattended."