[2022 National Audit] Clash Between Ruling and Opposition Over ‘Yoon Seok-yeol Car’… Minister Park Says “Not Comparable to a Blacklist”

Yeo "Two Threatening Press Releases from the Ministry of Culture Recall Blacklist"
Minister Park "Not Comparable to Blacklist, Issue Is Not the Work but the Foundation's Response"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heeyoon] On the 5th, the ruling and opposition parties clashed over a high school student's cartoon work titled 'Yoon Seokyeol Train,' which satirizes the Yoon Seokyeol administration, during the National Assembly's Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee's audit.

Kim Yoon-duk, the opposition party's secretary from the Democratic Party of Korea, stated during a procedural speech at the audit, "In South Korea, which aims to be a webtoon powerhouse, it is absurd that the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism urgently issued two threatening press releases regarding a high school student's work," adding, "It reminds me of the Park Geun-hye administration's blacklist again."

In response, Lee Yong-ho of the People Power Party said, "I deeply regret that Representative Kim expressed the Democratic Party's position unrelated to the procedural matters," and added, "Regarding the cartoon contest, questions can be sufficiently asked during the inquiry, and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism's stance can be heard, but it is inappropriate to prejudge and speak as if the Ministry did something wrong."

When Lee Byung-hoon of the Democratic Party compared the 'Yoon Seokyeol Train' controversy to a blacklist by saying, "I believe the blacklist incident started when the political bias of the National Theater's 2013 play 'Frog' was questioned," Park Bo-gyun, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, explained, "It is not comparable to a blacklist."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

When Representative Lee further asked, "Does the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism take strict measures when political content is involved?" Minister Park replied, "The Yoon Seokyeol administration guarantees freedom of expression and creativity to the fullest," and explained, "What we took issue with was not the work itself. We are concerned about the Korea Manhwa Contents Agency turning a middle and high school students' cartoon contest, which has built a reputation through pure artistic sensibility, into a politically contaminated contest."

Minister Park added, "The Korea Manhwa Contents Agency presented four selection criteria, among which were 'Works with political colors are disqualified,' and 'Works with political intent, defamation of others' names, or excessive sexual content are deleted.'"

Representative Lee then presented a video of President Yoon Seokyeol appearing on the variety show 'SNL' during the presidential election period, stating that political satire is the program's right, and criticized, "(The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism's response to the Yoon Seokyeol Train controversy) violates the constitutional freedom of expression and contradicts the president's intentions."

In response, Minister Park emphasized, "This is my independent position," and stressed, "We are not taking issue with the student's work but with the Korea Manhwa Contents Agency that has tainted the cartoon contest by turning it into a politically contaminated contest."

The source of the controversy is a cartoon exhibited at the 25th Bucheon International Comics Festival titled 'Yoon Seokyeol Train.' This work, which won the gold prize in the cartoon category of the 23rd National Student Cartoon Contest hosted by the Korea Manhwa Contents Agency in July and August, is known to have been submitted by a high school student. In response, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism expressed regret and issued a stern warning to the Korea Manhwa Contents Agency on the previous day (the 4th). The work depicts a train with President Yoon's face, with a figure presumed to be First Lady Kim Keon-hee in the driver's cabin, and men holding knives, who appear to be prosecutors, in the passenger cars.