"Words for President Moon Jae-in" Korean Society Now in the Era of 'Sangso Letters' Disputes

Petitions in the Form of Memorials Continue to Appear on the Blue House Petition Board
'Simu 7jo', 'Responding to Hagyo_Simu 7jo Memorial', 'Yeongnam Maninso', etc.
Civilian Memorials Criticizing the Moon Jae-in Government Receive Praise

Cheong Wa Dae Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Seung-gon] As writings criticizing the Moon Jae-in administration in the form of Joseon Dynasty memorials (sangso) continue to appear daily, Korean society is engaged in what is being called a memorial letter dispute. Since the criticisms of various policies of the current government are expressed in a polite style rather than using vulgar language, and rebuttals have also emerged, some interpret this as a form of 'pungnyu' (a cultured or refined exchange).

Earlier, the 'Seven Proposals for Reform' petition submitted to the Blue House on the 12th caused a significant stir even while it remained unpublished for about two weeks. The petition exceeded the Blue House's response threshold of 200,000 signatures within a day of being made public, garnering support from over 400,000 people. The poet Lim Tae-ju's rebuttal titled 'Response to the Seven Proposals for Reform Memorial' also attracted much attention. Recently, a petition titled 'Yeongnam Maninso' was posted on the Blue House petition board.

Yeongnam Maninso is a collective memorial submitted in 1881 by over 10,000 Confucian scholars from the Yeongnam region, including Lee Man-son from Yean, Gyeongsang Province. It is also called 'Cheoksa Maninso' (Memorial of Ten Thousand People Against Heterodoxy) as it is based on the ideology of Wejeong Cheoksa (Upholding Orthodoxy and Rejecting Heterodoxy), a social movement that arose in the late Joseon period.

President Moon Jae-in [Photo by Yonhap News]

◆ "Experiencing the 'Nation Never Experienced Before' Equally"

On the 29th, a petitioner identifying himself as Kim from Baekdu, Gyeongsang Province, posted a lengthy piece titled "Yeongnam Maninso Impeaching Jin-in Jo Eun-san."

Judging by the title, it seems to criticize 'Jin-in Jo Eun-san,' who previously submitted the 'Seven Proposals for Reform,' but the content satirizes President Moon Jae-in and officials related to the current administration.

The petitioner wrote, "Until now, His Majesty the Emperor has sought to apply the spirit of the Fire Uprising to politics, declaring from his inaugural speech that 'I will serve every single citizen, even those who did not support me, as our people,' thereby allowing all the people to equally experience a 'nation never experienced before,' which is a fact known throughout the world."

Regarding Lee Nak-yeon, the next ruling party presidential candidate and newly appointed leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, he said, "Lee Nak-yeon, who served as Prime Minister, joined the ruling party that led the impeachment of the late Emperor Roh Moo-hyun, thus leaving a lasting grievance against the late Emperor Roh."

About Lee Jae-myung, Governor of Gyeonggi Province, he stated, "Inspector Lee Jae-myung has a quick temper and harsh speech; if he achieves his intentions, he might even hurl insults at Her Majesty the Empress as he did at his sister-in-law, which is deeply concerning."

Regarding former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk, he said, "Minister of Justice Cho Kuk advocated the 'Spear Song' and led the people, which is considered the first great victory in five thousand years of history where mental triumph was achieved against Japan."

◆ "50 Million People Are 50 Million Worlds" vs. "The Writing Is Ornate but Lacking"

Before Yeongnam Maninso, 'Jin-in Jo Eun-san,' who wrote the 'Seven Proposals for Reform,' and poet Lim Tae-ju, known as the 'poet without a poetry collection,' engaged in a dispute. On the 30th, Jo Eun-san posted on his blog a piece titled 'Response to the One Proposal of the People.' He asked Lim Tae-ju, "Which people do your people refer to? Are the people who work hard and save diligently to secure their own homes not your people?"

He added, "I said that 50 million people are 50 million worlds. Your people amount to only 30 million based on the country's homeownership rate, and does it align with your sense of justice that 30 million worlds trample on 20 million worlds?"

Earlier, on the 28th of last month, Lim Tae-ju criticized Jo Eun-san through a piece in the form of a royal response to a memorial titled 'Response to the Seven Proposals for Reform' posted on his Facebook.

He criticized Jo Eun-san's 'Seven Proposals for Reform' as "The writing is ornate but lacking substance, imitating loyalty but being corrupt (actions that appear improper and bad). Although fluent at first glance, it was misleading and deceptive. It was narrow-minded, petty, and unreasonable."

Lim Tae-ju said, "Which people are your people? Are you lumping together those blinded by greed who have more than enough under the name of the people?" He added, "Do you still want a world divided into black and white? The lively and diverse opinions expressed in the palace, the National Assembly, and the marketplace are what the current constitution desires, are they not?"

Lim Tae-ju debuted in 1994 through the quarterly magazine 'Korean Literature' but has not published a poetry collection. In his 2014 prose collection 'This Crazy Longing,' former Minister Cho Kuk wrote a recommendation stating, "In Lim Tae-ju's writing, one can smell the aroma of cooking rice, boiling soybean paste, and flowers."

Photo by Cheong Wa Dae Petition Board Capture

◆ "Easier to Watch Than the Vulgar Disputes of Politicians"

Citizens have evaluated the memorial-style writings debating Moon Jae-in administration policies as more pleasant to watch than the aggressive language and behavior of political figures.

Kim, a company employee in his 40s, said, "Usually, when watching the news, I see politicians engaging in exchanges with language so offensive it cannot be spoken, but seeing criticisms in the form of memorials recently feels somewhat dignified." He added, "I secretly hope more memorials will be posted."

Lee, a worker in his 30s, said, "The content seems quite long and deep; I don't think it's from an ordinary office worker." He added, "I hope they reveal their face and appear on TV for those who are curious."

Amid growing interest in the memorial disputes, Jin-in Jo Eun-san stated on his blog in the early morning of the 28th of last month, "I cannot hide my overwhelming feelings that a piece of writing, which is nothing more than a long and tedious lament, has come out into the world and received many words of interest and support along with a legitimate single agreement."

He described himself as an amateur writer, saying, "It is unimaginable that a humble piece written by a lowly person based on shallow and immature knowledge would receive such great attention." He continued, "I deeply bow my head and express my gratitude to the many people who took the trouble to visit and agree." He added, "There is a sentence I wanted to include when writing the 'Seven Proposals for Reform': 50 million people are equivalent to 50 million worlds."

Meanwhile, as of 11 a.m. on the 1st, the 'Seven Proposals for Reform' petition written by Jo Eun-san on the 12th had received support from 410,397 people. Initially, the petition was not exposed on the petition board, raising suspicions that the Blue House deliberately hid it. After review on the afternoon of the 27th, the Blue House switched the petition to public status.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.