Members of the website Ilgan Best Jeojangso (Ilbe, storage space for the daily best) have strong anti-North Korean views and are at the center of controversial remarks snubbing former President Roh Moo-hyun and the May 18 pro-democracy movement in Gwangju.

At the same time, they display their hostility toward progressive groups using expressions like "leftist zombie" and "another look at the encyclopedia of the heroes of the mad cow disease lie." They adore former presidents Chun Doo-hwan and Park Chung-hee, actions which go hand-in-hand with their derogatory comments on former presidents Roh Moo-hyun and Kim Dae-jung.

* Ilbe Behavior, Almost Delinquent

On May 21, The Kyunghyang Shinmun searched the name of former President Chun Doo-hwan among the titles and found 25,623 posts in Ilbe. These included comments like, "There is no compromise with the reds. The true hero of democracy is Chun Doo-hwan," and "We need a figure like Chun Doo-hwan for our next president."

There were 24,312 posts with the name of former President Roh Moo-hyun in the title including titles such as "President Roh Moo-hyun, who Declared He Would Abandon the NLL," and "Why I Hate Roh Moo-hyun."

The members hail former President Chun, calling him Chuntank for having boldly suppressed the May 18 "riot." They belittle former President Roh, who took his own life, using expressions like wunji (fallen to the ground).

They called the May 18 pro-democracy movement in Gwangju the "Gwangju riot" and "seasoned skate (an analogy disparaging to the Jeolla region)." In other words, they mean that the incident was a riot caused by the people in the Jeolla (Honam) region.

On May 21, a person going by the name Chicken Gangjeong wrote, "Wasn't it the people of Gwangju who robbed the police precincts and armory and attacked the prison? Even if Chun Doo-hwan ordered it [armed suppression], they shouldn't have started such a dangerous violation of the law."

Ilbe members are also extremely derogatory to women. On May 20, a person going by the name Sibisibigunsahyeokmyeong (Dec. 12 military revolution) wrote, "Nuclear Dae-jung [former President Kim Dae-jung] brutally oppressed men by abolishing the extra-points system for veterans and establishing the Ministry of Gender Equality after he became president.

Roh Moo-hyun, this dude went a step further and beat the shit out of men." They think they have lost their position in society to women. Expressions belittling women such as "boseulachi (a vulgar expression for the female genital)" and "kimchinyeo (a derogatory word for Korean women used by Korean men)," which can occasionally be found in other online communities are rampant in Ilbe. Last December, some members of Ilbe posted a picture of them engaging in sexual acts with a life-size billboard of a celebrity from Gwangju and were sued by her management company.

There are also many comments derogatory to certain countries like Vietnam. They wrote about a plan to rape a 6-year-old ethnic Korean from China and shared their knowledge on how to legally rape a girl along with their experience of molesting disabled children. One person even posted a picture of himself engaging in a bestial act with his pet dog.

A member posted an argument against those who criticize Ilbe for being far-right and anti-women. In January, a member by the name, Tucheolhayeora (be thorough) wrote a post in response to criticism that labeled Ilbe as far-right.

The member wrote, "We tend to be conservative because we only look at objective information and verified facts. It's because the so-called progressives have acted too much like North Korean followers and traitors. We attack the conservatives too if they deserve it. He commented on the "rape" post: "Did it really happen? I'd like to ask." In his argument, he further said, "Ilbe basically aims for freedom on the internet, but we try not to exceed the legal limit."

He added, "Men are also called gays and eunuchs. We don't look down on women alone." "They [other sites] may use respectful language and hypocritical forms, but they are no different from Ilbe. Ilbe is just another site with funny posts." He ended his argument with the words, "Summary: Gwangju was a riot."

* An Average of 140,000 Visits a Day

In 1999, DC Inside, a website providing information on digital cameras, collected posts which received the most number of recommendations from each category and posted them in a section titled The Daily Best (Ilgan Best). The administrator deleted any posts with obscene or violent content. Some members who opposed the censorship created a separate website in 2010, which became Ilbe.

According to Rankey.com, a web data analysis and evaluation firm, people accessed Ilbe an average of 1.9 million times a month with their PCs and 2.3 million times with other mobile devices. This means that Ilbe members visit the site an average 145,400 times a day. This figure is smaller than that of DC Inside (296,000), but it's a much bigger number than other popular online communities like Today Humor (64,200).

Men in their late teens and early twenties appear to be the largest group among Ilbe members. Among those who have "come out" (reveal oneself as an Ilbe visitor), many say they are in middle school and high school.

There are occasional members who reveal themselves as working adults. In the past, when Ilbe users were attacked as being stupid, members revealed that they went to prestigious Korean and overseas universities and that they worked for large companies.