[2022 National Audit] Yoon Young-chan "Politically Biased Lectures at Government-Funded Research Institutes"

Korea Brain Research Institute Held a Lecture Inviting Former Park Geun-hye Government Cheong Wa Dae Officials on the 14th
Yoon Young-chan, Democratic Party of Korea Lawmaker, Criticizes "Repeated Biased Remarks Revealing Political Bias"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-su] It has been reported that a government-funded research institute under the Ministry of Science and ICT made all employees attend a politically biased lecture, sparking controversy.

According to Yoon Young-chan, a member of the National Assembly's Science, Technology, Information and Broadcasting Committee (Democratic Party of Korea, Seongnam Jungwon District), on the 14th, the Korea Brain Research Institute, directly under the Ministry of Science and ICT, invited Kim Joo-han, former Science and Technology Secretary at the Blue House during the Park Geun-hye administration, to give a special lecture to researchers and staff. It was announced that attendees would receive 'leadership competency education credits,' which led many employees to participate.

The problem was the content of the lecture. According to Assemblyman Yoon, former Secretary Kim praised former Presidents Park Chung-hee and Park Geun-hye while criticizing the Moon Jae-in administration, engaging in biased remarks. He said, “When I was director of the Daegu Science Museum, I commuted daily passing by former President Park Geun-hye’s residence,” “I visited the residence even a month ago,” and “Former President Park Geun-hye’s residence feels like the Blue House, unlike ordinary houses.”

In particular, he praised President Park Chung-hee as “the greatest figure in 65 years of South Korea’s science and technology,” saying, “Shouldn’t scientists repay the grace of President Park Chung-hee?” On the other hand, he emphasized that the Moon Jae-in administration’s “strengthening of the science and technology control tower” was an empty promise. During the lecture, he also promoted his appearances on far-right YouTube channels that have repeatedly caused controversies by distorting history and spreading false and manipulated information, including belittling the May 18 Gwangju Democratization Movement and insulting surviving comfort women victims. He even included photos boasting about a birthday wreath he received from former President Park Geun-hye during his time at the Blue House.

Assemblyman Yoon criticized, “Not only was the lecture biased according to the personal and subjective interests of the speaker, but it was shocking that a government-funded research institute made researchers and staff attend a lecture that gave a distorted perception of the previous administration’s science and technology policies as part of their education credits,” adding, “The special lecturer not only focused on political bias and composed the lecture based on personal impressions but also delivered false information, undermining the purpose of public institution special lectures.”

He continued, “The Moon Jae-in administration had a science and technology advisor at the Blue House as the control tower for government science and technology policies and responded to policies accordingly. However, the Yoon Suk-yeol administration first excluded the role of the science and technology sector from the Presidential Office, and currently, there is no science and technology control tower at all,” pointing out that “the promises of ‘science-centered national governance’ and the ‘Minister of Science and ICT’ are nothing but empty promises.”

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