A right-wing online community is adding fuel to ideological and regional frictions that have long plagued South Korea’s politics.



The website, Ilgan Best (ilbe.com) began as a subsection of another user-edited website but broke away in early 2010. Although the site began as an online community for humor, it has been dominated by those with extreme right-wing opinions, and its most popular posts are often those that denigrate progressive political leaders as well as the Jeolla provinces and their residents.



The website also has its own vocabulary, in which the word democratization is used to referred to negative developments or when expressing dislike of a particular post. Some of its users also refer to May 23, the day former President Roh Moo-hyun committed suicide by jumping off a cliff, as “Gravity Day.”



Its users also use the word “skate” to refer to the residents of the Jeolla provinces and those with progressive political views. Fermented skate is a popular dish in the region.



The website and its users have most recently come under public attention for posts claiming that the Gwangju Democratization Movement that began on May 18, 1980 was an anti-South Korean riot incited and led by North Korean agents and troops.



Although similar opinions have been expressed over the years, the issue rose as a major social topic following two cable channels broadcasting programs supporting the claims.



Website of Ilgan Best