Jeong Dong-young files criminal complaint over false 'pleasure squad' rumors

The Ministry of Unification said Wednesday that Unification Minister Jeong Dong-young has filed a criminal complaint against two individuals identified as the original sources of recently circulated false claims — a columnist and former National Intelligence Service employee identified as "A," and a YouTuber and film director identified as "B" — on charges including defamation under the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection.

The ministry's spokesperson office announced the filing in a notice Wednesday, adding that while the minister would "humbly accept criticism and differing views on policy at any time," fabricated personal attacks "cannot be protected as freedom of expression." The two individuals, the ministry said, had targeted the minister with insulting and sensationalist attacks that seriously damaged his reputation and undermined public trust in the ministry's policies, thereby obstructing its official work.

The ministry also stated that the minister has no daughter, has never visited Wonsan, and that claims he received entertainment from the so-called "pleasure squad" are entirely false. It added that his only meeting with Kim Jong-il, then chairman of the National Defense Commission, took place on June 17, 2005, in Pyongyang, in his official capacity as special envoy of then-President Roh Moo-hyun.

The ministry added that it plans to pursue additional legal action against those who continue to spread and amplify false information maliciously, beyond the current complaint.