An advertisement for’I Love Minju,’ posted on bus No. 140 in Seoul. Photo reader provided
Netflix, a paid content company that advertised’I like Democrats’ on 12 buses, is in a situation where the prosecution is being investigated.
On the 27th, the solidarity of action to establish the rule of law of a civic group received a request to the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office asking for a thorough investigation of the people involved, as the bus advertisement’I Like Democrats’ may have violated the Public Official Election Act. The Central Election Commission also received a petition requesting an investigation into the case.
According to Rep. Park Dae-chul’s office, Netflix commissioned an advertisement for’I Love Minju,’ on 12 bus routes in downtown Seoul for one month in order to promote the drama’Like if you like it.’ However, the character’Democracy’ does not exist in the drama.
Netflix explained that they had an event where they advertised on the bus by writing the name of the person they liked, and one of them was democratic. For city bus advertisements, the bus trade union puts the advertisement through an individual contract with the advertisement agency, and the autonomous district office under the jurisdiction of the bus company reviews the outdoor advertisement.
According to this, the Law Se-ryeon insisted that the mayor of the competent ward who approved the advertisement, the officials of the bus trade union, the officials of Netflix and the applicants for the event should be investigated.
It is common and natural to think of a specific party in the phrase “I like democracy,” so it is reasonable doubt that this phrase violated the Public Officials Election Act by undermining the fairness and neutrality of the election, the group said.
Beopsae-ryyeon said, “There is a possibility that a specific person with political intentions in the event of writing names down intentionally wrote down the name of democracy in an effort to promote political party elections.” The mayor of the Democratic Party may have allowed advertisements with at least unwritten intentions for the purpose of influencing the election, so a thorough investigation is necessary. At the same time, he asked the prosecution to “thoroughly investigate the clients suspected of violating the Public Official Election Act and face severe punishment if the charges are revealed.”
Reporter Lee Ga-young [email protected]
