A vehicle protest during the Gwangju uprising of 18 May 1980 (Image courtesy of The May 18 Foundation)
BUSAN, Jun. 4 (Korea Bizwire) –A young student in Busan has become the target of online abuse after being lauded for exposing a misleading video game that distorted the 1980 pro-democracy uprising in the city of Gwangju, prompting a police investigation.
The Yeonje Police Station in Busan said on June 3 that it was investigating more than 10 people accused of posting malicious comments related to news reports about the elementary school student, identified only by his last name, A.
The alleged offenders face charges of defamation and insult under the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization, police said. Authorities are working to identify the individuals and plan to transfer the cases to jurisdictions where the suspects reside.
The controversy arose after A discovered a game called “That Day in Gwangju” on the Roblox metaverse gaming platform that misrepresented the Gwangju Democratic Uprising of May 1980, a pivotal event in South Korea’s struggle against military dictatorship.
In the game, set on Gwangju’s Geumnamro street, players could engage in shootouts between civilian militias and government forces. It allowed users to play as North Korean soldiers by purchasing items with in-game currency. The game also featured North Korean music and a tunnel leading to visuals of enemy aircraft, promoting the discredited conspiracy theory of North Korean infiltration.
After the distortions came to light, Roblox apologized and removed the game from its platform.
On April 13, A received accolades from the Gwangju city government and education office for his role in highlighting the problematic content.
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
