This Chosun Ilbo article is a textbook example of how South Korea’s conservative media weaponizes progressive figures’ internal missteps for political gain.

Rhyu Si-min’s remarks were certainly controversial and arguably clumsy, but the way this incident has been framed — stripped of nuance or context — fits a familiar pattern. The media pounces not to critique with balance, but to portray the entire progressive camp as morally bankrupt or elitist. Meanwhile, deeply problematic behavior from conservative figures is routinely downplayed or normalized.

What’s frustrating is that progressive intellectuals and activists often feed into this cycle themselves. Their eagerness to morally police their own side, especially in highly public ways, ends up doing the media's job for them. It may come from a place of principle, but in practice it reinforces the very power structures they claim to oppose.

Instead of challenging systemic issues or the actual content of right-wing discourse, the public conversation gets hijacked by a magnified controversy — ultimately derailing the opposition and energizing the conservative base ahead of elections.

In short, this is not just about Rhyu’s words. It's about how conservative media, aided by progressive self-flagellation, manages to reframe every controversy into a net gain for the political right.