"President, Please Buy Time" Manipulated Photo of President Moon Published by Yoon Seo-in

Appearance at last year's New Year's press conference
Manipulation of prompter text opposite President Moon

A manipulated photo of President Moon Jae-in that cartoonist Yoon Seoin recently posted on his Facebook and then deleted. / Photo by Internet community capture

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Ju-hyung] Cartoonist Yoon Seo-in, who was embroiled in a controversy over disparaging descendants of independence activists, reportedly posted and then deleted a manipulated and distorted photo of President Moon Jae-in on social networking services (SNS).

The photo shared by Yoon was a manipulated and distorted image of President Moon Jae-in's New Year's press conference last year. Although it has been deleted from Yoon's account, it is still spreading through SNS and online communities.

Recently, Yoon posted a photo taken during President Moon's past New Year's press conference on his Facebook, sarcastically criticizing by saying, "The avatar is receiving orders beep beep beep," and "There is nothing to criticize about Choi Soon-sil."

This photo shows President Moon at the New Year's press conference on January 14 last year. In the photo taken by Yonhap News, President Moon is sitting opposite the reporters, answering questions.

At that time, a teleprompter summarizing the reporters' questions was installed in front of President Moon.

In the original photo, the monitor displays the affiliation and name of the reporter asking the question, along with phrases such as "What are the specific goals of the real estate stabilization policy?" and "What are your thoughts on strengthening property taxes?"

However, in the manipulated photo posted by Yoon, the teleprompter shows the phrase, "President, if you get stuck, start with a general answer to buy time."

As of the 21st, Yoon has deleted the photo from his Facebook page. However, the photo is reportedly still being shared through some far-right online communities such as 'Ilgan Best'.

The original photo (above) shows the prompter text installed opposite President Moon as normal, but the manipulated photo posted by Mr. Yoon contains the phrase "If you are at a loss for words, start with a fundamental answer to buy time." / Photo by Yonhap News

Meanwhile, Yoon previously caused controversy by disparaging independence activists and their descendants, implying they "lived roughly."

On the 12th, Yoon posted a photo on his Facebook comparing the houses of descendants of pro-Japanese collaborators and independence activists, writing, "While the descendants of pro-Japanese collaborators lived so diligently, what exactly did the descendants of independence activists do?"

He added, "If you look at the facts, even 100 years ago, so-called pro-Japanese collaborators were hardworking people, and independence activists were people who lived roughly, weren't they?"

Following this, Yoon faced strong criticism from netizens. On the 14th, a petition urging punishment for Yoon for insulting independence activists was posted on the Blue House's public petition board.

On the 18th, Kim Won-woong, chairman of the Liberation Association, appeared on CBS Radio's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show' and announced plans to file a lawsuit seeking 8.3 billion won in damages against Yoon.

In response, on the same day, Yoon revealed the details of donations he received from his supporters on Facebook, stating, "You don't have to send me money. There will never be a case where I have to pay money due to a ridiculous lawsuit."

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