[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Soyoung] Moon Jun-yong, the son of President Moon Jae-in, who publicly refuted allegations of preferential treatment regarding grants from the Korea Arts & Culture Education Service (KACES) through social media (SNS), stated, "Am I being too forward? I understand that there are such perspectives," but added, "I am sorry. However, I have no choice but to (publicly) address this."
In an interview with Hankyoreh released on the 23rd, Moon said, "There are naturally many people who feel uncomfortable, and I am truly sorry to those people," adding, "I know exactly why, and I try not to cross that line."
Regarding his decision to disclose the fact that he received the grant first, he said, "I think of myself as a fish waiting to be cooked," explaining, "I feel like I’m trapped in a fishbowl and taken out whenever the opposition party wants, to be cooked in the way they desire. Having been treated like that so many times, it was right to take the initiative this time." He continued, "No matter what I do, there are always controversies about preferential treatment. My father lived like that throughout his political career and faced disparagement of his abilities," and confessed, "Honestly, I’m angry. So I wanted to clarify that it’s not preferential treatment."
Moon explained, "Art grants are not like disaster relief funds meant to help those in hardship, but are intended to support the creative work of capable artists," adding, "The grants don’t remain with me; they all go to people within the (art) ecosystem." He further explained the reason for public support, saying, "What I do is experimental art, so production costs are high but it doesn’t generate income. That’s why there is little private support."
He added, "It has been difficult to escape criticism and prejudice that whatever I do is preferential treatment. However, I had already built sufficient achievements before my father was elected, and that is one of the main evaluation criteria for art grants."
While feeling burdened by receiving support as the president’s son, he lamented, "I have no choice. People say I can just wait until my father’s term ends to apply for support, but it’s actually not easy to get support when you’re older. Also, I have good ideas for works now, and telling me to postpone until after my father’s retirement is too harsh for an artist."
Regarding Assemblyman Kwak Sang-do, who engaged in heated debate over this controversy, Moon said, "I’m using SNS now while cutting into my own flesh to make a living, and I think he’s doing what he needs to make a living too," adding, "It’s become like a job for both of us. I understand because he’s a politician, but I just hope for some fair play."
He said, "I didn’t choose to become a public figure; it was involuntary," and added, "I don’t gain any benefits or advantages from it. Yet people only say I crossed the line as a public figure." He claimed, "The problem is that politicians first instigated this, but they don’t point that out and don’t even properly check whether the content is true or false," and said, "So at least I try to inform the facts minimally, and that’s mainly why I use SNS."
When asked if President Moon and his wife discouraged his SNS activities, he replied, "I don’t see my parents often, but when I do, I want to have fun conversations," adding, "We try not to talk about these things. Since my parents know the history, they don’t say anything." When asked if there was a request from Blue House aides to refrain from SNS use, he gave no comment.
President Moon Jae-in is speaking at the 4th Korean New Deal Strategy Meeting held at the Blue House on the morning of the 14th. [Image source=Yonhap News]
He revealed, "I expected that (my father’s political activities) would affect my life as an artist, but I didn’t think it would be to this extent," adding, "I was happy but also somewhat afraid. I firmly believe my father will do well, but the family has to endure the (political burden) for a long time, and it won’t end just because he retires. I was afraid whether we could handle that."
He pointed out, "The political culture of attacking the children rather than the politicians themselves needs to be reconsidered." He added, "I’m okay because I have some accumulated invitations and exhibitions, but for young people who don’t have that, it can completely undermine their future potential," and said, "Even if their abilities are disparaged, they have no way to prove otherwise. I hope people understand how much pain that causes young individuals."
He continued, "I feel sorry to the public, and as the president’s son, I want to live quietly and think that living quietly is the right thing to do," but drew a line by saying, "I can’t completely stop using SNS. After all, it allows me to reveal at least some truth, so I have no choice but to use it minimally."
Regarding his relationship with President Moon, he described it as "a typical father-son relationship in Korea," saying, "It’s a bit awkward, you can imagine that. But when we usually talk, my father values logic, but I don’t, so sometimes I feel like we don’t quite connect."
Moon also expressed hope and confidence that he will pursue his dreams as an artist after President Moon’s term ends. He said, "I expect that I will be objectively evaluated later," adding, "This is not just empty talk; I think I have somewhat reached a certain trajectory. My ultimate goal is to become the top artist in this field."
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