Throwing Filth on Iron Stakes... The Brutal History of Politicians' 'Myo Terror'

Representative Lee Jae-myung's Late Father's Grave Targeted by Feng Shui Terror
President Yoon Also Experienced Ancestral Grave Terror During Candidacy

The grave of Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, was reportedly subjected to so-called 'pungsu (feng shui) terrorism,' prompting a police investigation. Interest is also growing in similar past cases of grave vandalism. The desecration of graves of politicians, especially presidential candidates, often stems from beliefs in pungsu and superstition, whereas attacks on the graves of former and current presidents are frequently politically motivated.

On the 12th, Lee shared photos of his father's damaged grave on his social media, explaining, "According to opinions I received, it is a kind of black magic ritual where holes are dug at the vital points around the grave and ominous objects are buried to block the grave’s energy, cursing the descendants with extinction and ruin, known as hyungmae (or yangbap)."

In the photos Lee shared, his father's grave is noticeably sunken, and stones inscribed with Chinese characters such as 生 (life) and 明 (bright) are buried in the depressions. Lee said, "Although it is a hyungmae, elders have advised not to remove it carelessly, so we will perform a simple ritual and remove it within a few days. I am deeply sorry that my parents in the afterlife have been insulted because of me."

The damage to the grave of the late father shared by Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea.
[Photo by Lee Jae-myung's Facebook]

The desecration of Lee’s father’s grave can be seen as 'pungsu terrorism,' based on the pungsu belief that the condition of ancestors’ graves affects their descendants. It is not uncommon for the ancestral graves of influential politicians or presidential candidates to be targeted by such acts. In May 2021, for example, human feces, kitchen knives, talismans, and hair were found at the ancestral grave of President Yoon Suk-yeol, sparking controversy. At that time, Yoon had resigned as Prosecutor General and was considered a leading presidential candidate.

Former Grand National Party leader Lee Hoi-chang, a prominent conservative presidential candidate, was also targeted by pungsu terrorism in 1999. Metal objects such as iron stakes were found in seven out of thirteen ancestral graves in Yesan County, Chungnam Province.

Grave vandalism is not limited to ancestors’ graves; personal graves are also frequently targeted. Former and current presidents have often been victims of such attacks, which, unlike pungsu terrorism aimed at 'breaking the descendants’ energy,' are mostly politically motivated. In February 2010, a fire suspected to be arson damaged part of former President Kim Dae-jung’s grave site, and in November of the same year, a man in his 60s was caught at the scene after throwing human feces at former President Roh Moo-hyun’s grave.

Both incidents were politically motivated attacks. The arsonist at Kim’s grave was later arrested and sentenced to prison, while the man who threw feces at Roh’s grave received a suspended sentence.

Former President Park Chung-hee’s tombstone was also vandalized in 2016 by a man in his 50s during the Park Geun-hye administration. Additionally, in 2019, controversy arose when over 1,000 iron stakes were found driven into Park’s grave. At that time, former Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Moon-soo criticized former President Moon Jae-in on social media, saying, "Even though 1,500 iron stakes were pulled out from President Park’s grave, no investigation was conducted."

The grave of the late Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon, who was a presidential candidate, was also vandalized in 2021 by a man in his 20s. The man reported himself after damaging the grave, stating, "He was a bad person accused of sexual harassment, and I didn’t want him to rest peacefully."