Jin Joong-kwon’s 'Three Monkeys' Metaphor... Eyes Covered: Moon Jae-in, Lee Nak-yeon, Lee Jae-myung

Satire on the Relief of 'Sambulwon' at a Japanese Shrine

A photo of 'Sambulwon' posted by former Dongyang University professor Jin Joong-kwon on his Facebook on the 3rd. / Photo by Facebook capture

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Ju-hyung] Former Dongyang University professor Jin Joong-kwon criticized President Moon Jae-in, Democratic Party leader Lee Nak-yeon, and Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung by comparing them to the three wise monkeys. He satirized that key figures in the ruling party are covering their eyes regarding political issues such as the party constitution amendment for nominating candidates in the Seoul and Busan mayoral by-elections.

On the 3rd, Jin posted on his Facebook a photo of the three monkey statues with the caption "Lee Nak-yeon... Lee Jae-myung... Moon Jae-in." The statues, from left to right, depict a monkey covering its ears, a monkey covering its mouth, and a monkey covering its eyes.

The photo is a bas-relief carving located in the stable of T?sh?-g? Shrine in Nikko, Tochigi Prefecture, Japan. Known as Sambulwon (三不願), this carving symbolizes the proverb "See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil." However, it is interpreted that Jin used this carving to mock and criticize key figures in the ruling party.

Prior to posting the Sambulwon photo, Jin also shared a caricature satirizing President Moon, Leader Lee, and Governor Lee. In the caricature, which Jin introduced with the caption "Democratic Party 3 Monkeys," President Moon is shown covering his eyes next to the phrase "Democratic Party's decision on Seoul and Busan candidate nominations."

Before posting the photo of Sambulwon, former Professor Jin also shared a cartoon satirizing key figures in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, using the image as a metaphor. / Photo by Facebook Capture

Leader Lee is covering his ears beside the phrase "Cunning politics, rising public criticism," while Governor Lee covers his mouth in front of the phrase "Trust is important even for merchants, how do you see it?"

Meanwhile, according to the Democratic Party on the 2nd, 211,804 out of 803,959 registered party members (26.35%) participated in the all-member vote on the party constitution amendment. Of those, 86.64% voted in favor.

Earlier, on the 29th of last month, Leader Lee announced at a party meeting that the decision on amending the party constitution for nominating candidates in the Seoul and Busan mayoral by-elections scheduled for April next year would be made through an all-member vote. At the time, he explained, "It is a responsible duty to face the judgment of citizens through candidate nominations," adding, "I felt that not nominating candidates is not the only responsible choice."

Lee Nak-yeon, Leader of the Democratic Party of Korea / Photo by Yonhap News

The party member vote was held online over two days, from the 30th to the 31st.

According to the problematic current Article 96, Clause 2 of the party constitution, if an elected official from the party loses their position due to serious misconduct such as corruption, the party does not nominate a candidate in the resulting by-election district.

According to this principle, the Democratic Party cannot nominate candidates in the April by-elections next year, which are being held due to the sexual misconduct allegations and other culpable reasons involving former Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon and former Busan Mayor Oh Keo-don, both affiliated with the party.

Notably, this "no nomination principle" was established in 2015 when President Moon was the leader of the Democratic Party. In this regard, some opposition party members have argued that "since this clause was created by President Moon during his tenure as party leader, shouldn't the president directly express his position?"

However, regarding this, Shin Dong-geun, a senior member of the Democratic Party, rebutted in a radio interview on the 3rd, saying, "A political party must above all respect the choice of voters. The opposition's remarks are excessive political attacks," adding, "This was decided by the current executive body regardless of the president's opinion, so the leadership must take full responsibility."

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