CCTV Installed at Yoon's Father's Grave... Security Office "Safety Management Implemented According to Law"

It was reported that the Presidential Security Service is spending budget to install closed-circuit televisions (CCTV) and is even deploying police to monitor the grave of the late Professor Yoon Ki-jung, father of President Yoon Suk-yeol. On the 25th, CBS No Cut News reported that in August 2023, the Security Service installed four CCTVs and one warning speaker at the memorial park in Gyeonggi-do where the late Professor Yoon rests. The memorial park is managed by a private company, with controlled access at the entrance and several CCTVs and speakers installed by the private company throughout the area.

There was a report that the Presidential Security Service has installed closed-circuit (CC) TVs and other equipment at the grave of the late Professor Yoon Ki-jung, father of President Yoon Suk-yeol, using budget funds, and is monitoring the site with the help of the police. The photo shows the Presidential Office in Yongsan-gu, Seoul. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung

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However, the CCTV and warning speaker were installed at the family burial site immediately after Professor Yoon's passing in August 2023. Some have criticized this as excessive protocol. In response, the Security Service explained that similar management measures for family burial sites have been implemented by previous administrations. The Security Service stated, "The family burial site of the sitting president is under safety management according to laws to eliminate vulnerabilities in security and protection." However, they declined to disclose detailed measures, citing "security reasons."

A government official said in an interview with KBS, "The family burial site is also the president’s property and is a place vulnerable to arson or grave robbery," adding, "The Security Service manages the security of the family burial sites of former presidents including Moon Jae-in and Park Geun-hye." The official further explained, "In the past, patrols were conducted by personnel directly, but now CCTV is used to reduce manpower consumption," and "This decision was made through internal meetings to shift from manpower-centered to science-centered security."

On the morning of August 16, 2023, the lobby of the funeral hall at Severance Hospital in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, where the funeral room for Yoon Ki-jung, honorary professor at Yonsei University and father of President Yoon Seok-yeol, was set up, was bustling. Photo by Joint Press Corps

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Earlier, in 2021, when President Yoon was a leading presidential candidate, he raised claims that several signs of damage were found on part of the burial mound of his grandfather, former Prosecutor General Yoon, located in a park cemetery in Sejong City. At that time, relatives of former Prosecutor General Yoon reported, "There were kitchen knives, women's hair, feces, food scraps, and talismans at the grave site." Additionally, a representative from former Prosecutor General Yoon’s side claimed, "Recently, there were various signs of damage on part of the burial mound, and although the clan took photos of the site, it was so disgusting and repulsive that they could not disclose them." The police inspected the site twice but stated that there was no evidence to support these claims.

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