'Handong Hoon Party Bulletin Board' Case Back in Motion... Police Say 'Investigation Was Never Halted'

Conflict Between Pro- and Anti-Han Factions Reignites After Han Donghoon’s Election Victory
Police Question PPP Publicity Department Official as a Witness

The police, who have been investigating allegations that posts defaming former President Yoon Suk-yeol and his spouse were uploaded on the People Power Party (PPP) members' bulletin board under the names of then-PPP leader Handung Hoon and his family members, are accelerating the investigation by summoning party officials for questioning.

At a press briefing held on the 13th, Park Jeongbo, Seoul Metropolitan Police Commissioner, responded to questions regarding the background of the resumed investigation into the PPP members' bulletin board, saying, "We have been conducting the investigation continuously and there has never been a pause," adding, "The term 'resumption' is not accurate." He further stated, "A party official recently responded to a summons and has completed questioning."

Handong Hoon, an independent member of the National Assembly, is attending the plenary session held at the National Assembly plenary hall in Yeouido, Seoul. Photo by Jinhyung Kang

The Cyber Crime Investigation Unit of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency recently summoned a member of the PPP publicity department who was in charge of managing the members' bulletin board at the time of the incident. Based on witness statements, the police reportedly confirmed details of the board's operating system.

Previously, in November 2024, a system error on the members' bulletin board temporarily exposed users' real names. Following this, suspicions arose that posts defaming the former president and his spouse were written under the names of Assemblyman Handung Hoon (then PPP leader) and his family, leading a civic group to file a complaint. The police investigated the complainants and requested the PPP secretariat to preserve server data, but there was no further investigatory action after that.

As the investigation failed to make progress, the PPP conducted its own inquiry and decided on expelling Assemblyman Han on the grounds that it was confirmed his family had written the posts. In February this year, during a talk concert, Assemblyman Han explained, "Since becoming party leader, my family and I have been subjected to unspeakable attacks," adding, "I was told that my family, in an effort to defend themselves, linked to editorials critical of the former president and his spouse on the bulletin board."

After Assemblyman Han ran as an independent and won the by-election in the Buk-gu Gap district of Busan this June, internal conflict within the PPP between pro- and anti-Han factions has reignited. Jang Donghyuk, PPP leader, asserted on YouTube on the 10th, "The issue with the members' bulletin board constitutes a criminal act," adding, "Expulsion was the result of a criminal act."

Commissioner Park stated, "We will conduct a thorough investigation in strict accordance with principles and procedures."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.