National Assembly Facebook Comments
- SEOUL — A significant portion of South Korean lawmakers using Facebook have restricted comment sections, effectively limiting interaction to a select group, frequently enough described as "friends" or...
- An examination revealed inconsistencies in lawmakers' approaches to managing their Facebook comment sections.
- As of April 13, a survey of 296 lawmakers using Facebook found that 91 had disabled the comment window for the general public.
many South Korean Lawmakers Limit Public Comments on Facebook
SEOUL — A significant portion of South Korean lawmakers using Facebook have restricted comment sections, effectively limiting interaction to a select group, frequently enough described as “friends” or approved followers.
An examination revealed inconsistencies in lawmakers’ approaches to managing their Facebook comment sections. Initially, some representatives maintained open comment windows, while others denied restricting access, even when presented wiht evidence to the contrary. Some lawmakers, dubbed ”silent converters,” quietly switched to full public disclosure without clarification. Others, described as “oscillators,” alternated between full and limited disclosure depending on the specific post.
Extent of Comment Restriction
As of April 13, a survey of 296 lawmakers using Facebook found that 91 had disabled the comment window for the general public. This group included 48 members of the Democratic Party, 39 from the People Power Party, two from the Rebuilding Korea Party, one from the Basic Income Party, and one self-reliant.
Reasons for Limited Access
When asked about the reasons for restricting Facebook comments, 47 lawmakers responded that “there is no special reason.” Attempts to contact the remaining lawmakers for clarification were largely unsuccessful.
While most of the 47 lawmakers were generally responsive, representatives Kwak Sang-eon (Democratic Party), baek Sun-hee (Rebuilding Korea Party), and lim (People Power Party) did not respond to phone calls, text messages, or KakaoTalk inquiries. Further attempts to reach them through their parliamentary offices also proved fruitless. One staffer stated, ”There is no reason,” when approached in person.
During the course of the investigation, Bae joon-young (People Power Party) and Hur Jong-sik (Democratic Party) changed their settings to allow full public disclosure of comments.
Eighteen lawmakers cited “malicious comments” as the primary reason for limiting access. Na Kyung-won (People power Party) was noted to be operating her account with varying levels of disclosure, sometimes allowing full public comments and other times restricting them.
Another twelve lawmakers claimed they were unaware of the comment restriction feature. Upon being informed, seven Democratic Party members – Moon Geum-ju, Moon Dae-rim, Shin Jung-hoon, Ahn Ho-young, Satellite, lee Hoon-gi, and Jung Joon-ho – promptly opened their comment windows to the public.
Five lawmakers – Kim Sang-wook, Sung Il-jong, Kwon hyang-yeop, Kim Young-jin, and Jang Jong-tae – did not respond to inquiries about their decision to limit comments.
Difficulty Reaching Lawmakers
yong hye-in (Basic Income Party), who previously promoted active communication with supporters through a “badge unboxing” video on YouTube after being elected, proved especially tough to reach. Despite multiple attempts to contact her and a visit to her parliamentary office, the response was, “It seems difficult to cover.”
Yong is currently serving her second term. In 2024, following the launch of new leadership within the Basic Income Party, she stated the party’s commitment to engaging with citizens. In 2022,she appeared on TBS Radio,advocating for active communication from the Ministry of public Administration and Security with the families affected by the Itaewon disaster.
Kim Tae-ho (People Power Party) and Roh Jong-myeon and Park Chan-dae (Democratic Party) did not respond to repeated contact attempts and office visits. Staff members for Kim Tae-ho and Roh Jong-myeon stated that the lawmakers manage their accounts directly and they were unaware of the reasons for the restrictions.
Representative Park Chan-dae could not be reached. A staff member managing Park’s Facebook account stated that they would provide a reply,but none was received.
Jang Kyung-tae (Democratic Party) and Hwang Un-ha (rebuilding Korea Party) also did not respond to inquiries. An official at their parliamentary office stated, “Please report that there was no answer.”
Inconsistent Explanations
Some lawmakers initially claimed to have full public disclosure enabled. however, when presented with evidence to the contrary, Park Soo-hyun and Lee Hak-young (Democratic party) changed their explanations, citing “no special reason” and “illegal advertisements,” respectively. A Satellite Democratic Party lawmaker, who initially claimed full disclosure, did not respond when presented with contradictory evidence.
Lawmakers Without Facebook Accounts
Four lawmakers – park Joon-tae, Seo Cheon-ho, In Yo-han, and Han Ki-ho (all People Power Party) – do not use Facebook. Park stated that he did not create an account due to the existing media environment adequately covering legislative activities. Seo replied, “There is no reason.” One lawmaker suggested they were “trying to avoid spy reporters.”
List of Lawmakers with Restricted Facebook Comments
The following is a breakdown of the reasons provided by the 91 lawmakers who restrict comments on their Facebook pages:
- “There is no special reason.” – 47 people
- Bae Joon-young (People Power Party) – Now allows full disclosure
- Hur Jong-sik (Democratic Party)
- Baek Sun-hee (Rebuilding Korea Party)
- Kwak Sang-eon (Democratic Party)
- Kim Byeong-gi (Democratic Party)
- Kim Young-ho (Democratic Party)
- Kim Ye-ji (people Power Party)
- Kim Woo-young (Democratic Party)
- Kim Jang-gyeom
- Kim Jung-jae (People Power Party)
- Kim Joon-hyuk (Democratic Party)
- Kim Hyung-dong (People Power Party)
- Moon Jeong-bok (Democratic Party)
- Park Min-kyu (Democratic Party)
- Park Yong-gap (Democratic Party)
- Baek Jong-heon (People Power Party)
- Baek Hye-ryun (Democratic Party)
- Signing
- Seo Il-jun (People Power Party)
- Seo Ji-young (People Power Party)
- Ahn Kyu-baek (Democratic Party)
- Ahn Sang-hoon (People Power Party)
- Um Tae-young (People Power Party)
- Yoo Sang-bum (people Power Party)
- Young-ha (People Power Party)
- Yoon Sang-hyun (People Power Party)
- Yoon Jun Byung (Democratic Party)
- Lee Kang-il (Democratic Party)
- Lee Man-hee (People Power Party)
- Lim Oh-kyung (Democratic Party)
- Lim Jong-deuk
- Jeong Dong-man (People Power Party)
- Jeong Il-young (Democratic Party)
- Jeong Tae-ho (Democratic Party)
- Chung Hee-yong (People Power Party)
- Coordinator (Democratic Party)
- Jin Sung-joon (Democratic Party)
- Choi Eun-seok (People Power Party)
- Choo Kyung-ho (People Power Party)
- Han Joon-ho (Democratic Party)
- “Malicious comments are a lot.” - 18 people
- Na Kyung-won (people Power Party)
- Kwak Kyu-taek (People power Party)
- Kim Gun (People Power Party)
- Kim Dae-sik (People Power Party)
- Kim Mi-ae (People Power Party)
- Kim Min-jeon (people Power Party)
- Kim Seok-ki (people Power Party)
- Kim Sung-hwan (Democratic Party)
- Kim So-hee (people Power Party)
- Kim Young-bae (Democratic Party)
- Kim Jong-min (Independent)
- Park Deok-Hum (People power Party)
- Park Soo-min (People Power Party)
- Song Eon-seok (People Power Party)
- Lee Jong-wook (People Power Party)
- Jeong Jin-wook (Democratic Party)
- Jin Jong-oh (People Power Party)
- Chae Hyun-il (Democratic Party)
- “I didn’t know.” – 12 people
- Mun Geum-ju (Democratic Party) - Now allows full disclosure
- Moon Dae-rim (Democratic Party)
- Shin Jung-hoon (Democratic Party) - Now allows full disclosure
- Ahn Ho-young (Democratic Party) – Now allows full disclosure
- Satellite (Democratic Party) – Now allows full disclosure
- Lee Hoon-gi (Democratic Party) – Now allows full disclosure
- Jung Joon-ho (Democratic Party) – Now allows full disclosure
- Kwon Chil-seung (Democratic Party)
- Kim Joo-young (Democratic Party)
- son Myung-soo (Democratic Party)
- Woo jae-jun (People power Party)
- Minhee Choi (Democratic Party)
- No response – 11 people
- Kim Sang-wook (People Power Party) – Now allows full disclosure
- Kwon Hyang-yeop (Democratic Party) – Now allows full disclosure
- Kim Young-jin (Democratic Party) – Now allows full disclosure
- Seongiljong (People Power Party) – Now allows full disclosure
- Jang Jong-tae (democratic Party) – Now allows full disclosure
- Kim Tae-ho (People Power Party)
- Roh Jong-myeon (Democratic Party)
- Park Chan-dae (Democratic Party)
- Yong Hye-in (Basic income Party)
- Jang Kyung-tae (Democratic Party)
- Hwang Unha (Rebuilding Korea Party)
- “I made it with full release.” – 3 people
- Park Soo-hyun (democratic Party)
- Satellite (Democratic Party)
- Lee Hak-young (Democratic Party)
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South Korean Lawmakers Limiting Facebook Comments: What’s Going On? (Q&A)
Introduction:
In the digital age, social media has become a crucial arena for public discourse and engagement. But what happens when elected officials start to limit the ability of citizens to comment on their posts? This is the situation unfolding in South Korea, where a significant number of lawmakers are restricting comments on their Facebook pages. Let’s dive into this issue and explore the motives, implications, and key players involved.
Q: What’s happening with South Korean lawmakers and their Facebook pages?
A: A large percentage of South Korean lawmakers are limiting public comments on their Facebook profiles. This effectively means that the general public cannot directly post comments on their updates, restricting interaction to a select group, often “friends” or approved followers. This has raised concerns about openness and accessibility.
Q: How widespread is this practice of restricting comments?
A: According to a survey conducted on April 13th, out of 296 South Korean lawmakers using Facebook, a significant 91 have disabled the comment window for the general public. this represents a considerable number of elected officials who have opted to limit public discourse on their platforms.
Q: What political parties are most affected by these restrictions?
A: The lawmakers who restrict comments come from various political parties.Here’s a breakdown based on the initial survey:
Democratic Party: 48 members
People Power Party: 39 members
Rebuilding Korea Party: 2 member
Basic Income Party: 1 member
Independents: 1 member
Q: What reasons are lawmakers giving for limiting comments?
A: The reasons provided for restricting comments vary, and some lawmakers were less forthcoming than others. Here are the main explanations:
“There is no special reason”: 47 lawmakers cited this blanket explanation.
“Malicious comments are a lot”: 18 lawmakers mentioned this as a primary concern. They could be facing increased online bullying and harassment.
“I didn’t know”: 12 responded that they were unaware of the feature, claiming they did not know these options were available.
“no response”: 11 lawmakers did not respond to inquiries.
“I made it with a full release.”: 3 people stated this.
Q: Have any lawmakers changed their comment settings after being questioned?
A: yes, some lawmakers have opened their comment sections after being questioned. They can be divided into two cases:
Silent converters: Some lawmakers restored their setting from limited public disclosure to full disclosure promptly without clarification.
Oscillators: Some others rotated.
Q: Were lawmakers easy to reach for comment?
A: Not always. Several lawmakers were difficult to contact for clarification. Some did not respond to phone calls, text messages, or inquiries through parliamentary offices. Other staffers stated that lawmakers manage their accounts themselves, and they were unaware of the restrictions. The difficulties in reaching certain lawmakers highlight the challenges of transparency and accountability in government.
Q: Are there any specific examples of lawmakers who were difficult to reach?
A: Yes. Reps. Kwak sang-eon (Democratic Party), Baek Sun-hee (Rebuilding Korea Party), and Lim (People Power Party) did not respond to repeated contact attempts. also Yong Hye-in (Basic Income Party) was especially tough to reach.
Q: What do the inconsistent explanations suggest about the situation?
A: The inconsistent explanations offered by some lawmakers suggest a lack of clarity surrounding the practice of comment restriction.Some claimed to have full public disclosure enabled when evidence showed or else, later changing their explanations. This suggests that there may be a lack of awareness about the feature, the potential for miscommunication, or, in some cases, efforts to avoid unwanted scrutiny.
Q: Do all lawmakers use Facebook?
A: No.A small number of lawmakers do not have Facebook accounts.This includes park Joon-tae, Seo Cheon-ho, In Yo-han, and Han Ki-ho (all People Power Party). They cited reasons such as adequate coverage by the media and “avoiding spy reporters.”
Q: Why does this matter? What are the implications of limiting comments?
A: Limiting comments on Facebook can hinder public engagement, restrict the flow of information, and potentially affect the public’s access to their representatives. It may imply a lack of transparency and accountability and could contribute to a sense of disconnect between lawmakers and the constituents they serve.
Conclusion:
The practice of limiting Facebook comments among South Korean lawmakers raises vital questions about transparency, accountability, and digital engagement.The varied responses and explanations from lawmakers, along with the logistical and communicative challenges, showcase a complex issue with potentially significant implications for public discourse. As the digital landscape and social media continue to evolve, the way politicians interact with the public online will continue to be a topic of active debate.
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