'President Yoon and First Lady Coloring Activity' at Yongsan Children's Garden... "Is This North Korea?"

Some Criticism That It Is "Excessive Idolization"
Presidential Office Responds, "Only Those Who Want to Participate Do"

Controversy has arisen over the distribution of a "coloring activity" (photo) featuring President Yoon Suk-yeol and his wife at the Seoul Yongsan Children's Garden, which opened last May.

As this fact was belatedly revealed through online communities, criticism emerged that it was "not appropriate for children's perspectives," prompting the presidential office to clarify that "only those who want to participate can choose to do so."

[Photo by Online Community Capture]

On the 24th, a post titled "What was given to children to color at Yongsan Park" was uploaded on an online community along with a photo of a coloring sheet depicting President Yoon and his wife.

Paper was placed on tables set up within the park for children and other visitors to color.

The coloring sheet was created based on a photo of President Yoon and First Lady Kim Keon-hee spending time with puppies at the Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance Guide Dog School in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, on December 24 of last year.

In addition to this photo, coloring sheets based on images of the presidential couple walking side by side and the president walking with children were also provided for the coloring activity.

This coloring activity is part of a special exhibition titled "The Journey Begun with the People," which the presidential office launched last month to commemorate the president's first anniversary in office.

At the time, the presidential office stated in a press release dated June 9 titled "If I Were President? A Photo Exhibition Supporting Children's Imagination and Dreams," “Following the creation and opening of the Yongsan Children's Garden to provide a space where children, the future dream trees, can freely play and enjoy happy times with their families, a special photo exhibition communicating with children will be held on one side of the garden's lawn starting June 9.”

This sparked a debate over appropriateness, especially on online communities. Some netizens criticized the use of commemorative photos of the presidential couple for a children's coloring activity, saying, “Isn't this excessive idolization of the president?”, “It would be better if the content were more suitable for children’s perspectives,” “It’s anachronistic,” “Is this North Korea?”, and “Even during President Park Chung-hee’s era, this was not done.”

In response to the controversy, the presidential office explained to some media outlets, “As part of the first anniversary photo exhibition of the president, photos capturing the president’s diplomatic and domestic activities are displayed, and a few coloring sheets based on those photos were placed. There are also blank sheets without any drawings on site. Those who want to draw can choose from several options, and those who do not want to participate are free not to do so.”

Meanwhile, the Yongsan Children's Garden is a park renovated from the former U.S. military base in Yongsan, Seoul, after President Yoon declared, “I will give the front yard of the office to children.” The president and his wife also attended the opening ceremony on May 4, holding children’s hands.

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