President Moon's Son Moon Jun-yong: "It Depends on the Work, If I Succeeded by 'Backdoor', It Would Be My Loss... The World Is Not Corrupt"

"No One Crawls to Me... There Are Many Fearsome People in the World"

President Moon Jae-in's son, Moon Jun-yong. [Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] Moon Jun-yong (39), son of President Moon Jae-in and a media art artist, said on the 1st, "If my work is not good but I succeeded because of 'backing,' in the long run, it would be a loss for me," adding, "That part was especially frightening."

In an interview with JoongAng Ilbo on the same day, Moon looked back on the past five years living as the "president's son" and an artist, saying, "I tried not to reveal who I am. Basically, I am the type to feel embarrassed if someone recognizes me."

He added, "If I were an incompetent artist, it would be better to quit quickly and do something else to live better. Even from the perspective of an artist's career, I thought it would be a big headache if I only shined briefly now and failed later, so I was extremely cautious about that."

He continued, "Also, nowadays, if someone does something strange just because they are someone's son, it immediately gets exposed on SNS. It's not a world that easily forgives or overlooks that. There used to be presidential children who enjoyed such privileges, but the world has completely changed now. Aren't people these days seeing how terrifying everyone is? Even company presidents and chairmen are being arrested; would they overlook it just because someone is the president? No," he said.

President Moon Jae-in's son, Moon Jun-yong. [Photo by Yonhap News]

Regarding the controversy over support funds, Moon said, "The support funds from the Korea Arts & Culture Education Service did not go into my pocket. Most of it was paid to equipment rental companies and people I worked with," adding, "Thanks to that, museums and others exhibit works without spending more money. Audiences pay little or the minimum admission fee."

Earlier, in June, Moon revealed on his Facebook that he was selected for 69 million won in support funds from the Korea Arts & Culture Education Service's Art and Technology Convergence Support Project.

He also said he understands those who feel uncomfortable about the support funds he receives. He said, "I understand that people have different thoughts," adding, "Some people are uncomfortable due to misunderstandings, and even after explaining everything, some remain uncomfortable. Those people hold the view that 'Moon Jun-yong should not receive anything.' Such standards exist, but it can't be helped. It's just a difference in thinking. I think 'it's okay to receive it.'"

When asked, "'Even if there is no procedural problem with the support funds, isn't there suspicion that the judges bent over backward for you?'" Moon replied, "From my experience, no one bends over backward for me," adding, "The world is not that corrupt."

He said, "There are really many scary people in the world. There are even people who hate me," and questioned, "The judges have different political orientations, so if political preferences intervene, couldn't there be disadvantages instead?"

Regarding what he lost as an artist by becoming the president's son, Moon said, "Being caught up in unnecessary controversies," and "The most fatal thing is the disparagement of my skills and works."

He added, "Because of these controversies, people took an interest in my skills and even went to verify them. Honestly, it's uncomfortable, but paradoxically, there are also comments like 'an artist to look forward to' or 'skills are decent.' If I mention the not-so-bad parts, these are them," he added.