Yoon Seokyeol Posts 'Angry Mandarin' in Support of Ukraine... Foreign Media: "Nothing Cute About War"

Yoon Seokyoul, the presidential candidate of the People Power Party, posted a photo of an orange with an angry face drawn on it on his Twitter account on the 1st, expressing support for Ukraine. However, he became embroiled in controversy over trivializing the war. [Photo by Twitter]

[Asia Economy, reporter Hwang Sumi] Yoon Seokyeol, the presidential candidate of the People Power Party, posted a photo of a mandarin orange with an angry face drawn on it along with a message supporting Ukraine on his social media account, but deleted it after controversy arose.

On March 1, Yoon posted a short message on his Twitter account saying, "We stand with Ukraine. 우리는 우크라이나와 함께합니다," along with a photo of a mandarin orange with an angry expression drawn on it.

This appears to have been an attempt by Yoon to express support for Ukraine by referencing the "Orange Revolution." The Orange Revolution refers to the large-scale protests that took place during the 2004 Ukrainian presidential election, when supporters of the opposition party, wearing orange clothing and waving orange flags symbolizing the opposition, demanded a new election after the pro-Russian ruling party candidate won amid allegations of election fraud.

However, most online users reacted with confusion to Yoon's post. Comments included, "Why did he draw on a mandarin orange?" "Is this appropriate for an official presidential candidate's tweet?" "Isn't this trivializing the war?" and "What does this even mean?"

Although the post was soon deleted, the photo of Yoon's mandarin orange continued to spread on online communities, fueling the controversy.

Some foreign journalists also shared the photo, expressing their inability to understand the gesture.

A journalist from Australia's ABC News shared Yoon's post, writing, "It's truly baffling to see such efforts from the leading conservative candidate in the South Korean presidential race."

Raphael Rashid, a journalist who covers Korean news for outlets such as The Guardian, commented, "(I don't think Yoon) is well aware of the Orange Revolution. Even if he is, the Orange Revolution was a protest and revolution that is not appropriate in the current context, and the current situation in Ukraine is a full-scale invasion."

The Twitter account where Yoon posted the photo also became an issue. This account is used by Yoon to share daily life with his pets and was created as a successor to his Instagram account, which was shut down following backlash over the so-called "dog apology" controversy related to his remarks defending Chun Doo-hwan. Until now, perhaps due to the aftermath of the "dog apology" controversy, it was rare for this account to feature photos with political messages.

Online users pointed out that, given the nature of the account and the image conveyed by the photo, the post lacked sincerity. Despite the good intentions of supporting Ukrainians, they felt the gesture was excessively frivolous.

Raphael Rashid also criticized, "This is an account for posting cute pet photos. But there is nothing cute about war."

The Democratic Party of Korea criticized Yoon's controversial post, calling it a "national embarrassment" and urging him to apologize to the people of Ukraine.

Jeon Yonggi, spokesperson for the Democratic Party's election committee, stated in a written briefing on March 1, "Yoon posted a tweet saying 'We stand with Ukraine,' but it's unclear whether it was meant as support or a joke," highlighting the issue.

Jeon further commented, "As expected, Yoon did not show any deep reflection even during the dog apology incident. Now, he is causing national embarrassment. He deleted the post as soon as controversy erupted, which shows his own discomfort."

Referring to the reactions of online users and some foreign journalists, Jeon added, "In such a tragic situation, a presidential candidate should be wishing for the safety and peace of the Ukrainian people, but instead, he has issued this incomprehensible message. It is simply shocking."

He continued, "I urge the People Power Party and Yoon to come to their senses. The public is watching," adding, "And let me warn you: Stop these reckless acts that damage our national dignity and turn war into a political tool."

Meanwhile, the People Power Party's campaign headquarters explained, "A staff member posted the photo with the Orange Revolution in mind to show support, but it was deleted out of concern that it could be used for domestic political purposes."

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