Opinion-rigging blogger’s group aimed to take over conglomerate to implement economic democracy theory: investigators

A power blogger, who is standing trial on opinion-rigging charges, and his economic organization aimed to “promote economic democracy by taking over a conglomerate and creating a social community from the profit earned,” investigators said Tuesday.

In the hearing of Kim Dong-won, nicknamed “Druking,” and members of his organization, the independent counsel team led by Huh Ik-bum revealed documents and testimony from the group. 

Kim, with his group, has been indicted for manipulating thousands of online comments to sway public opinion in favor of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea. The investigators also suspect South Gyeongsang Province Gov. Kim Kyoung-soo, a former lawmaker of the ruling party, conspired with the blogger, but the governor continues to deny the allegations.

According to the independent counsel team, power blogger Kim had a letter of introduction that described his organization as a “group for revolution equipped with speedy actions and structure.”

“As a secret political association, we protect democracy. Socioeconomically, we aim to own a corporation on behalf of a conglomerate and communicate with the state; we promote unification of the Koreas and eliminate traitors,” the document, which also contained the group’s regulations, read.

It also said the group can “interfere in the lives of the members (of its own group) from cradle to grave.”

At the hearing, prosecutors also revealed the testimony of Kim, who explained his organization kicked off as a secret online community in 2009 and launched another open site in 2014. Only those who had taken paid lectures for over three months were eligible to join the secret community of some 500 members, and the open community had about 4,500 members, Kim is said to have claimed to investigators.

Another document revealed that Kim’s group aimed to “seize power by winning in the presidential election and embark on controlling big conglomerates and reform them via (taking over) the National Pension Service.”

By Jo He-rim (herim@heraldcorp.com)