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Seoul mayor sues online community netizens for libel

September 10, 2015
Park Won-soon is receiving mixed reactions from South Korean citizens after openly supporting gay marriage. (Korea Times file)

(Korea Times file)

SEOUL (Yonhap) — Seoul mayor Park Won-soon filed a defamation suit Thursday against a number of netizens from a right-wing online community for raising draft-dodging rumors against his son, city officials said.

In the complaint lodged with the Seoul Central District Court, Park sued 16 netizens who wrote on “Ilbe’s” discussion board that his son Ju-sin evaded mandatory military service unlawfully, adding that Park would either kill the junior Park as a cover-up or Ju-sin will commit suicide under pressure.

“We hope this complaint will be an opportunity to root out wrongdoings on cyberspace such as spreading rumors,” Park’s attorney Min Byung-duk said.

The mayor has been taking strong legal action against those who spread false rumors about his son.

Park filed a separate complaint on Wednesday against journalists and executives from a South Korean terrestrial network MBC for reporting on the issue.