Democratic Party lawmaker Kwak Sang-eon has launched legal action against Weekly Chosun, saying he never called Kim Eo-jun a "cult leader," yet the interview headline used that term.
On April 4, Kwak posted on Facebook that he did sit for an interview with Weekly Chosun, but after reviewing the print and online versions he said the piece misrepresented his actual remarks.
He said words he never uttered appeared in both the headline and the body, and that significant contextual passages were omitted, which distorted his intended meaning.
Kwak said he immediately informed the publisher of the discrepancies and requested corrections, but the magazine proceeded with print and online publication. He has therefore filed a provisional injunction seeking to block distribution of the print issue and to have the online article removed.
In its latest issue (No. 2903), Weekly Chosun ran an interview with Kwak under the headline: "Late Roh Moo-hyun's son-in-law Kwak Sang-eon: 'Kim Eo-jun Is a Cult Leader; YouTube Power Tries to Deify Itself'." The magazine wrote that Kwak likened Kim—often described as a power broker within the Democratic Party and a prominent figure in Chungjeongno—to a priest or cult leader who blurred the lines between religion and state, and that he viewed Kim as already causing social and political harm.
In the interview, Kwak criticized Kim, saying, "YouTube power brands itself as partisan broadcasting and primarily influences its own camp. People from opposing camps do not cross over to watch. They exploit that dynamic to maximize influence within their base. So during election season, candidates effectively have no choice but to appear on those channels."
He also argued, "Religion is a matter of faith and belief, and it does not tolerate criticism. A society that enforces that attitude and becomes more infused with religious sentiment turns highly aggressive. Those who exploit this political phenomenon can seize power and gain influence."
After the article appeared, Kwak insisted, "I never used the words quoted in that article. I did not convey the views attributed to me, nor did I make such defamatory remarks about any person or organization mentioned in the piece."
On April 5, Weekly Chosun said, "We recorded the interview together," and added, "We understand we shared the full text of the article with the lawmaker's office before publication."
