Yoon "Fraudsters and Money Bribery Threaten Liberal Democracy"...Presidential Office Calls It a "General Phenomenon" (Summary)

President Yoon Attends 4.19 Commemoration Ceremony for Second Consecutive Year
Crisis of Liberal Democracy Protected by Blood and Sweat
Democratic System Distorted by Incitement, Fake News, Threats, and Violence
Supports Totalitarianism but Poses as Democracy Activist

Following March Democracy Summit
Reaffirms Commitment to Defend Liberal Democracy
Also Seen as Criticism of Moon Government and Opposition
Presidential Office Explains "Talking About Global and General Cases"

Visits Memorial Hall Before Ceremony
Offers Condolences to Patriots and Bereaved Families
Government,

President Yoon Suk-yeol stated on the 19th, "The freedom and democracy that the April 19 Revolution martyrs defended with their blood must not be mocked by swindlers." This remark was made in the context of defending liberal democracy against the spread of fake news worldwide, as well as against dictatorship, acts of aggression, and human rights violations by countries like North Korea. Domestically, it is also interpreted that President Yoon showed a strong response to the exposure of espionage allegations involving labor and civic movements, the opposition's pro-Japanese framing, and the previous Moon Jae-in administration. However, the Blue House cautioned against interpreting this as targeting any specific group, emphasizing that it was a general statement about protecting the liberal democratic system.

On the morning of the same day, President Yoon attended the 63rd anniversary commemorative ceremony held at the National April 19 Democratic Cemetery in Suyu-dong, Gangbuk-gu, Seoul, where he said, "The liberal democracy that we have protected with our blood and sweat is now in crisis."

In his commemorative speech, President Yoon first said, "Democracy is a political decision-making system to protect the freedom of the people, and democracy that protects freedom is liberal democracy," adding, "False agitation, fake news, threats, and incitement to violence are distorting and threatening the democratic decision-making system, which should be based on truth and free public opinion formation." He continued, "Those who threaten democracy with false agitation and fabrication mostly support totalitarianism while outwardly posing as democracy activists or human rights activists. We must never be deceived by such lies and disguises."

A key official from the Blue House, when asked by reporters at the Yongsan Presidential Office in the afternoon about the background and examples of terms like false agitation and bribery, quoted the late poet Shin Dong-yeop's poem "Shells Go Away," saying, "'April leaves only the core and the shells go away.' Last month, while presiding over the Democracy Summit via video conference, the president emphasized that fake news and anti-intellectualism threaten liberal democracy worldwide. Almost all leaders of liberal democratic countries have emphasized this in unison; it is the same context."

President Yoon's remarks reaffirmed his commitment to defending liberal democracy, which he expressed while presiding over the 2nd Democracy Summit held on the 29th of last month. At that time, he stated, "In addition to the bloc formation of authoritarian forces that openly deny the rule-based international order, fake democracy represented by anti-intellectualism is rising worldwide," and warned that fake news threatens liberal democracy. He expressed to world leaders the need to guarantee individual freedom through the rule of law based on liberal democratic ideals. Notably, at the Indo-Pacific regional meeting of the Democracy Summit, President Yoon declared, "Countries sharing the universal value of democracy must unite to strongly counter transnational corruption crimes."

President Yoon Suk-yeol delivers a commemorative speech at the 63rd anniversary of the April 19 Revolution ceremony held at the National April 19 Democratic Cemetery in Suyu-dong, Gangbuk-gu, Seoul on the 19th. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Despite the Blue House official's explanation, it seems that the phrase "challenges could come from dictatorship, violence, and bribery with money" was added on-site. Questions followed, such as "Was this statement aimed at the domestic political scene?" and "Are there specific groups or individuals in mind when mentioning swindlers?" Around noon that day, Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, posted on his Facebook, "Today, our democracy owes a great debt to the sacrifice of citizens who stood resolutely 63 years ago," citing the line from "Shells Go Away" that the official quoted in the afternoon.

There is also speculation that the remarks were a criticism not only of some labor unions and civic groups where espionage activities were uncovered but also of former President Moon Jae-in, the previous Moon administration, and the opposition parties. In December last year, the Blue House announced plans to enhance transparency in subsidies to non-profit private organizations and began audits of such groups, stating, "During the previous Moon Jae-in administration, subsidies increased by about 400 billion won annually, and among these, cases were found where youth club support funds were provided to political organizations leading anti-government protests." The Blue House criticized the Moon administration for neglecting oversight of private organizations involved in profit cartels and indiscriminately granting subsidies.

In particular, some interpret the remarks as a response to former President Moon's recent interview, where he said, "The achievements over five years are not just my achievements but those of the Korean people together. Therefore, Korea has made these achievements," adding, "Seeing these achievements collapse suddenly and revert to the past, I feel a sense of futility." Regarding this statement, a Blue House official told reporters the day before, "That's a very interesting question," and indirectly criticized by saying, "It would be good to ask Go Min-jung and Kim Eui-gyeom, Democratic Party lawmakers who served as spokespersons for the Moon administration's Blue House."

Recently, the "money envelope scandal," involving about 20 current lawmakers from the major opposition party, the Democratic Party of Korea, has been spreading widely, leading to interpretations that the "bribery with money" remark was aimed at this issue.

However, the official denied this, saying, "I think President Yoon was speaking about a general phenomenon rather than a specific case," adding, "Worldwide, there are many cases where groups unrelated to democracy falsely claim to be democrats and disrupt the country, and these are the kinds of examples he was referring to."

President Yoon Suk-yeol is greeting attendees as he enters the 63rd Anniversary of the April 19 Revolution Commemoration Ceremony held at the National April 19 Democratic Cemetery in Suyu-dong, Gangbuk-gu, Seoul on the 19th.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Meanwhile, in his commemorative speech, President Yoon also conveyed condolences, promising that the nation will eternally remember those who devoted themselves to the country.

President Yoon expressed his respect to the April 19 patriots and their families, saying, "I pay tribute to the great courage and sacrifice of the students and citizens who held high the torch for freedom and democracy, and bow my head in mourning. I also extend my deepest condolences to the bereaved families and the injured who have lived with the sorrow of losing their loved ones over a long time," adding, "We will record and pass on the stories of the April 19 Revolution patriots who established our liberal democracy and national dignity, one by one, to future generations. The government will continue to find and remember, in the name of the Republic of Korea, those who courageously devoted themselves to the country."

The government, in an unprecedented move, conducted on-site investigations including school records from the regions where the April 19 Revolution unfolded, and awarded the Order of Merit for National Foundation to 31 individuals whose contributions were confirmed. Additionally, President Yoon personally presented the Order of Merit certificates to five of them at the ceremony.

President Yoon's attendance at this year's ceremony broke the tradition where only the president attended on the 10th anniversary, marking his first attendance in 16 years since 2007. He had also attended the 62nd anniversary ceremony last year as president-elect.

Before the ceremony, President Yoon visited the Memorial Hall housing the portraits of 507 deceased patriots interred at the National April 19 Democratic Cemetery, paying respects together with Park Min-sik, head of the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs; Oh Kyung-seop, president of the April 19 Democratic Revolution Association; Jung Joong-seop, president of the April 19 Revolution Victims' Families Association; and Park Hoon, president of the April 19 Revolution Meritorious Persons Association. After viewing the portraits, he signed the guestbook.

The Blue House explained, "This is the first time the president has attended the ceremony and paid respects at the Memorial Hall," adding, "President Yoon stated in his commemorative speech that he will record and pass on the stories of the April 19 Revolution patriots one by one to future generations and will continue to find and remember those who courageously devoted themselves to the country in the name of the Republic of Korea. Accordingly, the visit to the Memorial Hall took place."

President Yoon Suk-yeol is paying respects at the Eternal Flame Hall before the 63rd anniversary ceremony of the April 19 Revolution held at the National April 19 Democratic Cemetery in Suyu-dong, Gangbuk-gu, Seoul on the 19th. [Image source=Yonhap News]

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