Yoon Satire Exhibition and Park's 'Dirty Sleep'... Same 'Disciplinary Ending'?

National Assembly Secretariat Removes Satirical Exhibition of President and First Lady
Recalls Controversy Over Park Geun-hye Satire 'Dirty Sleep' from 6 Years Ago
Ethics Committee Disciplinary Issue Resurfaces

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyun-joo] Is it an insult to character or freedom of expression?

The same debate has emerged in politics after six years. In the past, the conflict was between the Saenuri Party and the Democratic Party of Korea over satirical paintings of former President Park Geun-hye, while today, the People Power Party and the Democratic Party have exchanged arguments over satirical paintings of President Yoon Seok-yeol and his wife. Both controversies involve satirical exhibitions targeting the president in the National Assembly.

On the 9th, the satirical exhibition of the Yoon Seok-yeol administration titled "Goodbye: Jeonin Seoul," which was scheduled to be displayed in the lobby of the National Assembly Members' Office Building, was abruptly dismantled. The exhibition was hosted by the Seoul Federation of Ethnic Art Organizations and the Goodbye Exhibition Organizing Committee, and jointly organized by Democratic Party members Kang Min-jung, Kim Seung-won, Kim Young-bae, Kim Yong-min, Yang Yi-won-young, Yoo Jung-joo, Lee Soo-jin, Jang Kyung-tae, Choi Kang-wook, Hwang Un-ha, as well as independent members Yoon Mi-hyang and Min Hyung-bae.

Among the planned exhibits were paintings depicting Minister of Justice Han Dong-hoon as a bespectacled dog next to a drunken President Yoon Seok-yeol, and images of President Yoon shirtless wielding a knife with First Lady Kim Geon-hee. There was also a parody of the movie poster for "Decision to Leave" titled "Decision to Exploit," targeting allegations of preferential treatment in the Yongsan Presidential Office construction contract.

The exhibition had initially received approval from the National Assembly. However, the day before the exhibition, the National Assembly Secretariat reversed its position and sent an official letter to the offices of the jointly organizing lawmakers requesting voluntary removal. After multiple requests for correction were ignored, the Secretariat forcibly dismantled the exhibition.

Representatives from the Seoul Minjok Arts Organizations Federation and the Goodbye Exhibition Organizing Committee held a press conference at the National Assembly Communication Hall on the morning of the 9th, criticizing the sudden removal of the satirical works scheduled to be exhibited that day, stating that "the National Assembly trampled on freedom of expression."
[Image source=Yonhap News]

The basis for the removal request was the internal regulations of the National Assembly Secretariat. According to Article 6, Paragraph 5 of the regulations, if a meeting or event is judged to infringe on the rights of others, public morals, or social ethics by defaming specific individuals or groups, the Secretary-General may refuse permission to use meeting rooms and lobbies.

In response, the Democratic Party protested, saying "The National Assembly trampled on freedom of expression," while the People Power Party criticized it as an "exhibition full of personal insults and defamation."

This controversy recalls the painting "Dirty Sleep," which satirized former President Park six years ago. Both targeted sitting presidents and were held in the National Assembly Members' Office Building, making the situations similar. In January 2017, Democratic Party lawmaker Pyo Chang-won held a political criticism exhibition titled "Soon, Bye! 展" at the National Assembly Members' Office Building, which included a nude painting by artist Lee Gu-young satirizing Park, who was then undergoing impeachment proceedings. The painting parodied "Olympia" by 19th-century French painter ?douard Manet.

At that time, the Saenuri Party criticized the use of misogyny to attack power. Female lawmakers in the ruling party pointed out that criticism of the president should not be conducted through sexual objectification, and some conservative groups stormed the National Assembly to damage the artwork, causing a commotion.

On the other hand, Democratic Party supporters defending Pyo's exhibition argued, "She is a politician who can be the subject of satire before being a woman." They cited satirical paintings targeting former German Chancellor Angela Merkel and former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, insisting that freedom of expression should be prioritized.

Eventually, the Democratic Party Ethics Committee imposed a six-month suspension of party membership rights on lawmaker Pyo, bringing the satire controversy to a close.

However, some view the two exhibitions criticizing sitting presidents differently. "Dirty Sleep" was analyzed as having a strong intent of misogyny because it superimposed the president's face onto Olympia, who is presumed to be a prostitute. In contrast, the paintings in "Goodbye: Jeonin Seoul" depicting President Yoon and First Lady Kim only showed the president shirtless without sexual objectification intent.

Amid ongoing controversy over the exhibition, the People Power Party is demanding the "same ending" as six years ago. On the 10th, Floor Leader Joo Ho-young referenced the case where lawmaker Pyo received a six-month suspension during a People Power Party floor strategy meeting and called for disciplinary action against the 12 lawmakers who organized the current exhibition. Leader Joo said, "We request the Democratic Party Ethics Committee to conduct an ethics review of the actions of these 12 lawmakers."