Prison Sentence for Satirical Pansori on Yoon Couple... Teacher Baek Geumryeol Faces Appeal Trial

Prison Sentence for Satirical Performance Targeting Yoon...
Violation of State Public Officials Act
Minbyun: "Infringement on Freedom of Expression"... Calls for Constitutional Review
Teachers' Groups: "Viewing Art as Politics... Freedom Must Be Guaranteed"

Ahead of the appeal trial for teacher Baek Geumryeol, who was sentenced to prison for a satirical performance targeting former President Yoon Suk-yeol and First Lady Kim Keon-hee at a rally, civil society groups have argued that the constitutionality of the State Public Officials Act must be examined. Baek, a classical Chinese teacher and pansori singer, is known for hosting candlelight rallies and performing satirical shows.

'Sorikkun Teacher' Geumryul Baek. Photo from Facebook

On July 9, the Gwangju-Jeonnam branch of Lawyers for a Democratic Society (Minbyun) issued a statement, declaring, "Public officials must be guaranteed freedom of political expression as citizens," and urged the appeals court in Baek Geumryeol's case to refer Article 65, Paragraph 4 of the State Public Officials Act to the Constitutional Court for a constitutional review. This provision prohibits political activities by public officials. Baek was convicted of violating this law in the first trial and sentenced to eight months in prison, suspended for two years, along with a one-year suspension of qualifications.

In 2022, Baek performed original pansori pieces satirizing President Yoon Suk-yeol and government officials at political rallies in Seoul, Gwangju, and other locations. Performances included phrases such as "Yoon Suk-yeol, let's go to prison," "Beauty that ruins a country," and "Those who like preemptive strikes should join the military first." While the first trial court deemed these performances to be crimes with political intent, educational organizations and civil society groups interpret them as exercises of artistic freedom of expression. The Gwangju Teachers' Union and the Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union (Jeon Gyojo) condemned the ruling as "cutting off the voice of teachers," arguing that the judiciary's decision to classify satirical and humorous performances as political acts infringes on freedom of expression.

On the morning of the 9th, in front of the Gwangju District Court, members of the teacher citizen group held placards reading "Teacher Baek Geumryeol is innocent!" at the press conference demanding the acquittal of teacher Baek Geumryeol.

Since the 1990s, Baek has been a pansori singer, winning the grand prize at the National Gugak Competition and the top prize in the Bosong Sori Master Division (Prime Minister's Award). While working as a teacher, Baek has also hosted traditional music broadcasts and participated in cultural and civic activities, including hosting candlelight rallies. The appeal hearing was held on this day in the Criminal Division 4 of the Gwangju District Court.

Minbyun stated, "Political expression by public officials should be protected as long as it does not undermine professional neutrality," and called for a constitutional review to obtain a constitutional judgment.

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