Han Dong-hoon Faces Allegations of Malicious Online Posts Against South Korean President.

Seoul: Han Dong-hoon, the chairman of South Korea's ruling People Power Party (PPP), has broken his silence regarding allegations that he and his family members exploited an online privacy rule to post defamatory comments about President Yoon Suk Yeol and First Lady Kim Keon Hee. On Thursday, Han denied these claims, stating his reluctance to address each allegation individually to prevent overshadowing more pressing issues.According to Yonhap News Agency, Han expressed his discomfort with the accusations, suggesting that an organized effort might be attempting to portray him as deliberately avoiding the topic. He acknowledged the delayed nature of his response and emphasized the need to focus on critical matters, such as the court's ruling on the main opposition party leader and economic issues. Despite Han's denial, his explanation appeared insufficient to the public, who remain unconvinced and demand a more detailed account of the situation.The controversy began earlier this month when a YouTuber alleg ed that nearly 1,100 malicious posts were uploaded on the PPP's official website's message board under names corresponding to Han and his family members. These posts, reportedly scathing enough to humiliate the presidential couple, were uploaded by individuals with names matching Han, his wife, daughter, mother, and son-in-law. A technical glitch on the website briefly exposed the full names of the authors, sparking widespread allegations when these were captured and shared online.Han's initial lack of response and his aide, Rep. Joo Jin-woo's threat of legal action against the YouTubers, raised further questions. Joo's defense equating Han's denial to fact was criticized, as a denial must be substantiated by evidence to be considered factual. Han's recent official denial does not absolve him of guilt without a transparent investigation.To address the issue, Han has the option to initiate an inquiry through the PPP to investigate the allegations and publicly disclose the findings. This step is deemed esse ntial to clear his name and that of his family, and failure to do so could damage his political reputation.