As controversy grows over a cheering chant mocking the May 18 Gwangju Democratization Movement during a baseball game between Baejae High School and Gwangju Jeil High School, historical distortion and regional disparagement posts related to the event have also continued to circulate online. Critics say that before disciplining students exposed to indiscriminate content, measures against fake news, distortion, and hate content online must first be prepared.
According to Seoul Economic Daily's reporting compiled Friday, the May 18 Memorial Foundation requested action from platforms including Threads and Instagram on 146 cases among the tips it received in May regarding distortion of the democratization movement. Including these, reports related to 5·18 distortion received by the foundation in May and June reached at least 1,910. The National Police Agency also said Friday that it had investigated 74 accounts that spread false information such as claims that "North Korean troops intervened during the May 18 Democratization Movement," arrested nine suspects, and referred three of them to prosecutors.
Most of the reported posts were short in length and contained provocative mockery. A representative example is the expression "5·18 is an uprising (while raiding the armory)," which strips away the historical context of the martial law forces opening fire and picks out only parts of the citizens' resistance to turn them into sarcasm. Some posts presented the North Korean intervention theory as fact, claiming that "CIA documents have been disclosed" or "there are National Intelligence Service materials." Expressions such as "sanctuary peddling" were used to mock the acts of remembrance and fact-finding themselves, and numerous disparaging slang terms targeting the Gwangju and Jeolla regions were also confirmed.
Such posts were closer to a repetition of existing distortion frames than the raising of new allegations. According to the foundation, 5·18 distortion posts were most frequently found on Threads, followed by Instagram. Related content also continues to spread on YouTube and X (formerly Twitter). As 5·18 distortion is compressed into mocking phrases and slang on platforms centered on short sentences and images, concerns are growing that young people may consume it as simple joking chants.
The problem is that follow-up measures are slow. This is because overseas platforms, the main distribution channels for these posts, take time to recognize and handle individual cases. According to the foundation, of the 146 cases finally received and requested for action as of May, only 15 had been removed as of Friday. A foundation official said, "Because there are many foreign platforms, even when we request removal, it takes time for them to verify and process."
In the education sector, voices are calling for examination of the structure through which online denigration of 5·18 is indiscriminately absorbed by young people. If provocative mocking posts are repeatedly exposed on social networking services (SNS) and students who encounter them use them as chants or jokes without properly understanding their meaning, sensitivity to historical violence will inevitably become dulled, they argue. Park Joo-hyung, a professor of education at Gyeongin National University of Education, said, "Extreme expressions of thought are still coming out through fake news and Reels," adding, "Strong discipline is not the answer; this is a problem that can only be solved when the essential parts, such as the issues and effects of hate speech, are included in school education."
In particular, some point out that intervention by political figures for political purposes is further complicating and spreading the situation, and that excessive involvement should stop. In fact, regarding the case in which Wonyi (real name Jung Won-yi), a member of the popular idol group Recense, made the remark "museopno" on her YouTube channel on the 28th of last month and became embroiled in a controversy over Ilgan Best (Ilbe), a far-right online community, political intervention took place, including former Rebuilding Korea Party leader Cho Kuk joining in the "bashing."
Experts point out that the political sphere, leaning toward ideological logic, is failing to focus on the essence of the matter. Park Chang-hwan, an adjunct professor at Jangan University, said, "The political sphere responds to each and every issue in an excessively ideologically biased or black-and-white manner, failing to show that it can solve problems wisely," adding, "It is not desirable to view problems that could be resolved in their respective domains through a political lens and overreact."
Meanwhile, all 36 members of the Baejae High School baseball team, along with some parents and faculty—86 people in total—visited Gwangju Jeil High School on Friday to apologize for the controversy over the cheering chant mocking 5·18. The captain of the Baejae High School baseball team said, "I sincerely apologize to the Gwangju Jeil High School players, their parents, and the citizens of Gwangju who were deeply hurt by the inappropriate remarks and behavior." The coach also acknowledged responsibility for guiding the players, saying, "Regional disparagement cheering is a wrong that cannot be excused by anything."
