Yoon Seok-yeol's Camp Faces Another 'Historical Awareness Controversy'... Visiting Ahn Jung-geun's Shrine While Mentioning 'Yun Bong-gil'?

Yoon's Side Explains "Post About Entire Day's Schedule"

On the morning of August 15, Liberation Day, Yoon Seok-yeol, the preliminary presidential candidate of the People Power Party, visited Uiyeolsa Shrine in Hyochang Park, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, where the portraits of seven independence activists are enshrined, paid respects, and then reviewed the Compendium of the Declaration of Korean Independence. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] Yoon Seok-yeol, the People Power Party's presidential candidate and former Prosecutor General, has once again become embroiled in a 'historical awareness controversy.' This arose because Yoon's campaign posted a photo of him paying respects to the portrait of independence activist Ahn Jung-geun on Liberation Day, August 15, while mentioning 'Yun Bong-gil.' As the controversy grew, Yoon's camp explained, "The text posted with the photo does not pertain to the content of that specific photo but refers to the overall activities of the day."

On that day, Yoon visited Uiyeolsa Shrine in Hyochang Park, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, which houses the portraits of seven independence activists, to pay his respects. Afterwards, Yoon's campaign released six photos of the visit on their Facebook page, 'Yoon Seok-yeol People's Camp.'

Along with the photos, they posted the phrase: "If you have blood and bones in the future, become a brave warrior of Joseon, raise the Taegeuk flag high, and come to my empty grave to pour a cup of wine. December 19, 1932, Yun Bong-gil."

However, among the six photos, the first one showed Yoon raising a cup of wine in front of the portrait of Ahn Jung-geun, which sparked the historical awareness controversy. Critics pointed out that Yoon's camp might have confused Ahn Jung-geun with Yun Bong-gil.

As the controversy escalated, by the 17th, the photo was replaced with one showing Yoon visiting the Independence Hall at Seodaemun Independence Park in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, where he was seen examining memorial tablets after paying respects.

Photo by Screenshot of former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk's Facebook page.

Meanwhile, criticism from the ruling party continued. Former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk posted a screenshot of Yoon's camp's post on Facebook, labeling it a "deleted posting."

Former Blue House Secretary Kim Kwang-jin also commented on Facebook, saying, "Pouring wine to Ahn Jung-geun with the spirit of Yun Bong-gil. Am I the only one who finds this strange?"

In response, Yoon Seok-yeol's campaign told a media outlet, "The photo of Ahn Jung-geun is just one among many taken at the site that day, and the text posted with the photo refers to the overall activities of the day, not the specific photo." However, they acknowledged that the mismatch between the photo and the description could cause misunderstandings and reportedly have since revised the post.

This is not the first time Yoon has faced controversy over his historical awareness. On the 27th of last month, at Busan Democracy Park, he was criticized for asking, "Is this the Buma Uprising?" upon seeing a sculpture commemorating the late Lee Han-yeol, who was hit by tear gas during the June Democratic Uprising of 1987.

In response, on the 30th of the same month, during a press conference at the People Power Party headquarters regarding his party membership, Yoon explained, "I was 27 years old at the time, and my home was near Yonsei University. Who among my peers wouldn't know the photo of Lee Han-yeol collapsing after being hit by tear gas?"

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