May 18 uprising honorees to sue PPP's Lee Jin-sook for W120m in damages

Honorees of the May 18 Gwangju Democratic Uprising are preparing to file a damages lawsuit against People Power Party lawmaker Lee Jin-sook, following an injunction request seeking the removal and prohibition of social media posts she shared.

Yang Gi-nam, chairman of the May 18 People's Uprising Mobile Strike Force Comrades' Association, said Tuesday he plans to file a 120 million won ($87,360) defamation damages suit against Lee next week, together with three other honorees, according to Yonhap.

The claim amounts to 30 million won per person, totaling 120 million won.

Yang said the lawsuit was necessary because distortions and disparagement of the May 18 uprising continue despite a previous court victory. "We won a lawsuit against Ji Man-won, who falsely identified me as North Korean special forces agent 'Gwangsu No. 36' during the May 18 uprising, yet the distortions keep repeating," he said. "We need to secure an additional legal ruling to put a stop to it."

Yang had filed a defamation damages suit against Ji in June 2017, also seeking a ban on the publication and distribution of related materials, and won.

Jeong Yeong-hun, the attorney representing the honorees' group, told MBC that the plaintiffs suffered significant psychological harm from the posts, as they were victims present at the South Jeolla Province government building in Gwangju on May 18, 1980. He said the suit referenced a court precedent ordering 15 million won in compensation to the family of the late Father Jo Bi-o, whose reputation was damaged by Chun Doo-hwan's memoirs.

On Thursday, Lee shared a YouTube video on her social media account that characterized the May 18 uprising as a "riot," writing that she was introducing "the most faithful (personal opinion) explanation and commentary on May 18."

Yang and three others filed the injunction request with the Seoul Central District Court on Monday, seeking deletion of the post and a ban on its further publication and distribution.