A social media post mocking Korean independence activists. [Provided by Professor Seo Gyeong-deok's team]
A social media post mocking Korean independence activists. [Provided by Professor Seo Gyeong-deok's team]

Social media posts ridiculing Korean independence activists are still spreading ahead of Liberation Day, drawing renewed criticism.

Seo Gyeong-deok, a professor at Sungshin Women's University, said Tuesday that a probe of TikTok and other social media platforms ahead of Liberation Day found such mocking posts were still widespread.

He went on to say that the posts included "absurd content such as rating independence activists on their appearance, ranking them by their contributions, and comparing them to video game characters and K-pop idols."

"Above all, it appears to be a strategy to 'boost' their accounts by exploiting well-known independence activists such as Ahn Jung-geun, Yu Gwan-sun and Kim Gu," Seo said.

Earlier this year, ahead of March 1 Independence Movement Day, AI-generated videos titled "Yu Gwan-sun Fart Rocket" and "Ahn Jung-geun Fart Train" were posted on TikTok, sparking controversy.

Legal experts say meaningful punishment for such malicious content is difficult under current law, as defamation statutes do not apply to the deceased.

Posthumous defamation charges apply only when false facts are involved, making them far harder to pursue than ordinary defamation cases.

Seo said the most important step when such content is discovered is for Korean internet users to report it actively so the posts lose visibility. He added that platforms must strengthen monitoring to prevent such content from being uploaded in the first place.


choigo@heraldcorp.com