Controversy over 'Julie Mural' Defaming Yoon's Wife... Even Within the Ruling Party, "Character Assassination" "Not Helpful"

A mural defaming Kim Keon-hee, wife of former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol, painted on the exterior wall of a bookstore in Jongno, Seoul, on the morning of the 30th. The original phrases such as "Julie-ui Namjadeul" have been painted over. / Photo by Yoon Seul-gi, intern reporter seul97@asiae.co.kr

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Juhee] Voices of criticism are emerging from the ruling party regarding the so-called 'Julie Mural,' which defames Kim Geonhee, the wife of former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol.

Ko Yong-jin, senior spokesperson of the Democratic Party of Korea, said in a briefing after the Supreme Council meeting on the 30th, "Thorough candidate verification is necessary, but acts that completely deny a person's life based on inaccurate information are not only tragic for the individual but also do not help democracy at all," criticizing the mural.

He added, "The party leadership agreed that such expressions, which involve personal attacks and even elements of character assassination, should be restrained," and pointed out, "Freedom of expression must be respected, but it should not cross the line."

Ruling party presidential candidates Lee Jae-myung, Governor of Gyeonggi Province, and former Democratic Party leader Lee Nak-yeon also joined the criticism. Nam Young-hee, spokesperson for Lee Jae-myung's campaign, released a statement on the 29th saying, "The Julie Mural is an expression that crosses the line," and questioned, "I don't know if it is acceptable to indiscriminately criticize the premarital private life just because she is the wife of former Prosecutor General Yoon."

However, Spokesperson Nam emphasized, "Rather than mocking premarital private life, the focus should be sharply on verifying truly important issues such as the allegations of fundraising for Kobana Contents and the stock manipulation suspicion of Deutsche Motors concerning Kim, the wife of Prosecutor Yoon Seok-yeol," stressing the need for thorough verification of non-private matters.

Former leader Lee Nak-yeon appeared on MBN News the same afternoon and, when asked about the mural, said, "It is a bit embarrassing and uncomfortable to talk about."

A mural criticizing former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol painted in an alley in Jongno, Seoul on the 29th. / Photo by Yoon Seul-gi, intern reporter seul97@asiae.co.kr

The controversial mural was recently painted on the outer wall of a secondhand bookstore in Jongno-gu, Seoul. The mural was installed by the building owner, Mr. Yeo. In an interview with a media outlet, Mr. Yeo stated, "The mural falls within the realm of freedom of expression guaranteed by the Constitution," and added, "I have no intention of removing it until Julie herself appears." 'Julie' is the stage name mentioned in the so-called 'Yoon Seok-yeol X-file' referring to Kim, the wife of former Prosecutor General Yoon.

The mural featured a painting of a blonde woman’s face along with phrases such as "Julie's Men," "2000 Dr. A, 2005 Chairman Jo, 2006 Prosecutor P, 2006 Prosecutor Yang, 2007 BM CEO, 2008 Announcer Kim, 2009 Prosecutor Yoon," and "Julie's Dream! The First Lady's Dream!"

However, as criticism from inside and outside the political sphere intensified over the mural, Mr. Yeo painted over and erased some of the phrases with paint.