Will shutting down Ilbe make extremism disappear?

Shin June-bong The author is an editorial writer at the JoongAng Ilbo. President Lee Jae Myung, who has more than 1.11 million followers on X, formerly Twitter, posted criticism on Saturday about excessive apartment maintenance fees in Korea's shared residential buildings. Although many residents would benefit if such costs were reduced, the post drew only about 310,000 views. By contrast, Lee's posts condemning Starbucks Korea over its controversial May 18 marketing campaign attracted millions of views. A May 20 post criticizing Musinsa's old sock advertisement using the phrase "He hit the desk and died with an 'ugh,'" referencing democracy activist Park Jong-chul, drew 7.51 million views. Another post criticizing Starbucks Korea's "Tank Day" tumbler promotion on May 18 surpassed 5.25 million views. The difference reflects how deeply divisive such controversies remain. Critics argue that phrases like "Tank Day" and "hit the desk" appearing on symbolic dates linked to Korea's democracy movements seem too coincidental to dismiss lightly. If intentional, many view them as malicious acts that defy common sense. Whether Lee's aggressive criticism of Starbucks will influence next week's local elections remains to be seen. But the debate is already expanding beyond one company's marketing failure into a broader discussion about how Korean society should confront far-right online culture, particularly communities associated with Ilbe, a far-right online community long criticized for hate speech, misogyny and mockery of democratic movements. On Sunday, Lee suggested "under strict conditions" that shutting down Ilbe could be considered. Since then, commentators and scholars who have studied online extremism have weighed in on the issue. Questions have also emerged over whether Shinsegae Group Chairman Chung Yong-jin truly knew nothing about the Starbucks promotion beforehand. According to the company's explanation on Tuesday, Chung had not been informed in advance because hundreds of marketing events occur each year and this campaign bypassed proper review procedures, including legal screening. At a press conference, Chung repeatedly accepted final responsibility. Yet some observers argued that the chairman's widely discussed conservative political leanings may have helped create a corporate atmosphere in which employees felt comfortable engaging in what critics call "Ilbe-style behavior." Others cautioned that such claims remain speculative and difficult to verify even through police investigations. Attention has instead focused on reports that three employees involved in planning the campaign refused to hand over their mobile phones during the company's internal investigation. Some analysts interpreted that decision as preparation for possible police scrutiny. If digital forensics were to uncover evidence of deliberate coordination, it could seriously damage Ilbe-affiliated online culture. Still, many doubt whether shutting down the Ilbe website itself would achieve much. One cultural critic described the proposal as "shadow-boxing with a ghost from the past," arguing that the site has already become largely inactive. According to that view, younger extremists today operate mainly through social media platforms, online gaming communities and private chat spaces rather than traditional internet forums. Lee Soo-jong, a specialist member at the Press Arbitration Commission, also questioned whether site closures would be effective or legally feasible. He noted that even Germany, known for strict measures against hate speech and historical denialism, has not generally responded by shutting down far-right websites altogether. Democratic Party campaign chief Jung Chung-rae has meanwhile proposed stronger legislation punishing mockery or distortion of the May 18 Gwangju Democratization Movement and other pro-democracy movements, citing Germany as an example. Under current Korean law, however, punishment is difficult because statements ...