Hong Joon-pyo speaks at the Liberty Korea Party's event at the Ulsan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, South Gyeongsang Province, Monday. / Yonhap





By Jung Min-ho



Over the past year or so, people who disapprove of President Moon Jae-in coined the term "Moonslam" and have used it to ridicule his supporters as "followers with blind faith."



But knowing that the term obviously belittles and mocks Islam and Muslims around the globe, no politicians had mentioned the word in public ― until main opposition Liberty Korea Party (LKP) Chairman Hong Joon-pyo did recently.



At the party's New Year events in Busan and Ulsan, Monday, Hong claimed the foundation of the Moon government is the internet comments of "fanatic Moonslams."



"Whenever my name appears online, Moonslams swarm like bees to attack me with curses," Hong said. "Whenever the media criticize him, they try to protect him no matter what."



This was not the first time he has used the term. On Facebook last week, he said Moon tries to manipulate public opinion by mobilizing Moonslams.



Experts say Hong's new habit of attacking his political opponents with the term is wrong and diplomatically risky, given his political status.



"The Arabs are not furious about it, only because they do not know what it exactly entails," Lee Hee-soo, a professor in the department of cultural anthropology of Hanyang University, told The Korea Times. "It is a very insulting word that should not be used by him or anyone. It may be used by netizens. But Hong is not just a netizen. He is the leader of a political party. It could cause a diplomatic issue."



If the same thing happened in the United States or Western European countries, the politician who said the word would be forced to make a public apology at least, said Sung Il-kwang, a researcher at the Centre for Middle Eastern Studies of Konkuk University.



"Many people in the Middle East will get to know what that word means. It is just a matter of time. Countries there may not express their displeasure publicly, but there is no reason to make them upset in the first place."



Korea has close relations with many countries in the region, where a majority of people are Muslims. Some of the countries are key partners Korea relies on for its energy security among other things.



When asked, Rep. Choung Tae-ok, an LKP spokesman, claimed he did not know about the term or that Hong had used it repeatedly.



Another party spokesman, Rep. Jun Hee-kyung, did not respond to The Korea Times' call.

