"Angry Tangerine" Controversy: Is Kim Keonhee Managing Yoon Sukyeol's Social Media?... "I'll Let You Know Later"

"Regardless of Who Posted It,
the Message Is Clear: Support for Ukraine's Resistance"

Photo by Yoon Seokyoul Instagram capture

[Asia Economy, reporter Na Yeeun] Kim Jaewon, Supreme Council Member of the People Power Party, emphasized that "regardless of who posted it or what the content was, the intention to support Ukraine's resistance is clear," in response to the controversy over presidential candidate Yoon Seokyoul of the People Power Party posting a photo of an "angry tangerine" on social media to express support for Ukraine.

On March 2, during an appearance on TBS Radio's "Kim Eojun's News Factory," host Kim Eojun remarked, "This wasn't posted by the campaign, was it? There's no way the campaign would do something like this." Kim Jaewon responded, "Well, the orange could also be interpreted as supporting the Orange Revolution."

Kim Eojun then said, "The Orange Revolution ended a long time ago, and now there's a war-why post an orange now?" He continued, "What I'm curious about is, this is Yoon's official social media account, but isn't it still being managed by his wife, not the campaign? I noticed that the drawing on the whiteboard at their Acrovista home is exactly the same as the one posted."

When Kim Eojun asked again, "So, is his wife managing Yoon's social media?" Kim Jaewon replied, "Well, I'll look into that," and added, "I'll check and let you know next time," avoiding a direct answer.

Kim Eojun pressed further, "At the very least, it wasn't the campaign, right?" Kim Jaewon responded, "I'll check on that as well and let you know quietly later."

When asked, "Do you think Yoon's wife, Kim Keonhee, will ultimately not make a public appearance before the election ends?" Kim Jaewon replied, "I'll look into it and let you know later."

Broadcaster Kim Eojun (left) and Kim Jaewon, Supreme Council Member of the People Power Party. /Photo by tbs, Yonhap News

Previously, on March 1, Yoon Seokyoul posted a short message on his Twitter account, stating, "We stand with Ukraine. We are with Ukraine," along with a photo of a tangerine with an angry face drawn on it.

However, both internet users and some foreign journalists responded with confusion. Freelance foreign correspondent Raphael Rashid shared Yoon's post, commenting, "Sharing the bizarre, tone-deaf tangerine photo from South Korea's conservative presidential candidate before it's deleted. This account usually posts cute pet photos, but nothing cute about war."

Stephen Dziedzic, a journalist with Australia's public broadcaster ABC, also shared Yoon's post, criticizing, "I've seen a lot of tone-deaf tweets, but this effort from the leading conservative presidential candidate in South Korea is truly bewildering."

Regarding the controversy, Yoon's campaign explained the previous day, "A staff member posted it to express support, thinking of the Orange Revolution," and added, "It was deleted due to concerns it could be used in domestic politics."

The Orange Revolution refers to the mass protests in 2004 during Ukraine's presidential election, when supporters of opposition candidate Viktor Yushchenko, wearing orange-the color symbolizing the opposition-demanded a new election after the pro-Russian ruling party candidate was elected amid allegations of election fraud. Opposition candidate Yushchenko ultimately won the re-election with 52% of the vote.

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