Jee Man-won (; born November 20, 1942) is a right-wing South Korean politician and commentator.
He was born in
Hoengseong
Hoengseong County () is a county located in southwestern Gangwon Province, South Korea, bordering Pyeongchang County to the east, Yangpyeong County, Gyeonggi Province to the west, Hongcheon County to the north, and the city of Wonju and Yeongwol ...
,
Kōgen Province
, alternatively Kōgen Province, was a province of Korea under Japanese rule. Its capital was Shunsen (Chuncheon). The province corresponds to the combination of the modern Kangwon Province, North Korea and Gangwon Province, South Korea.
Popul ...
,
Korea, Empire of Japan
From 1910 to 1945, Korea was ruled by the Empire of Japan under the name Chōsen (), the Japanese reading of "Joseon".
Japan first took Korea into its sphere of influence during the late 1800s. Both Korea (Joseon) and Japan had been under polic ...
on November 20, 1942.
He is a leading proponent of a
conspiracy theory
A conspiracy theory is an explanation for an event or situation that asserts the existence of a conspiracy (generally by powerful sinister groups, often political in motivation), when other explanations are more probable.Additional sources:
* ...
that
North Korean operatives had instigated the 1980
Gwangju Uprising
The Gwangju Democratization Movement, also known in South Korea as May 18 Democratization Movement (), was a series of student-led demonstrations that took place in Gwangju, South Korea, in May 1980, against the coup of Chun Doo-hwan. The upr ...
, a series of student-led, pro-democracy protests against the military coup that had taken place the year before.
Jee was indicted on multiple charges of
defamation
Defamation is a communication that injures a third party's reputation and causes a legally redressable injury. The precise legal definition of defamation varies from country to country. It is not necessarily restricted to making assertions ...
in 2016 against and the
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Gwangju
The Catholic Archdiocese of Gwangju (, Hangul: 천주교 광주대교구) is a particular church of the Latin Church of the Catholic Church, one of the three Metropolitan sees of the Catholic Church in Korea. The Archdiocese covers the city of G ...
, among others, and sentenced to two years in prison in 2020.
The courts concluded that "
ee's claimshad the aim not of determining the historical truth of the May 18 Democratization Movement, but of disparaging and maligning its historical significance and value".
He was not subject to arrest until 2023, when the
Supreme Court of Korea
The Supreme Court of Korea () is the highest ordinary court in the judicial branch of South Korea, seated in Seocho, Seoul. Established under Chapter 5 of the Constitution of South Korea, the court has ultimate and comprehensive jurisdictio ...
upheld the lower ruling and ordered his detainment.
See also
*
Cho Gab-je
References
External links
System Club established by Ji
Personal blog
South Korean engineers
South Korean educators
South Korean colonels
South Korean conspiracy theorists
South Korean journalists
South Korean politicians
1942 births
Living people
South Korean anti-communists
South Korean military personnel of the Vietnam War
Conservatism in South Korea
South Korean far-right politicians
Man-won
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