Why is Ahn Cheol-soo in the photo of the Korean President... German Media's Bizarre Mistake

German Media Reporting President Yoon Seok-yeol's Travel Ban
Uses Ahn Cheol-soo's Photo for 'President of Republic of Korea'
Netizens Criticize as "Racism"

The German newspaper 'Munich Mercury' reported the news of President Yoon Suk-yeol's travel ban using a photo of Ahn Cheol-soo, a member of the People Power Party. X

Amid the National Assembly's approval of the impeachment motion against President Yoon Seok-yeol, a German media outlet mistakenly inserted a photo of Ahn Cheol-soo, a member of the People Power Party, claiming it was President Yoon in their related report.

On the 13th, a user on X (formerly Twitter) posted a photo from an article by the Munich regional newspaper 'M?nchen Merkur' with the caption "Find the mistake." The article, reported from Seoul, stated that "amid the worsening national crisis in the Republic of Korea, the Ministry of Justice has imposed a travel ban on President Yoon." Earlier, the High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Unit (Gongsoocheo) had requested a travel ban on President Yoon on the 9th, and the Ministry of Justice promptly issued the travel ban. This is the first time such a measure has been taken against a sitting president in history.

However, the photo attached to the article was not of President Yoon but of Representative Ahn. The media reportedly captioned the photo with "Yoon Seok-yeol, President of the Republic of Korea." Ahn is one of three People Power Party lawmakers who participated in both the first and second impeachment votes against President Yoon. Unlike most People Power Party members who left the plenary hall during the first vote, Ahn remained until the end. He also publicly expressed support for the impeachment ahead of the second vote.

Domestic netizens who saw the news reacted with comments such as "It feels like racial discrimination against Asians" and "Can't they even put the correct person's photo?"

Participants gathered in front of the National Assembly building in Yeouido, Seoul, are cheering immediately after the impeachment motion against President Yoon Suk-yeol was passed in the second impeachment vote. Photo by Heo Young-han

Meanwhile, President Yoon's duties have been suspended following the approval of the impeachment motion, but he still retains the status of president. It is also reported that the protocol and security arrangements for the president remain unchanged. On the 15th, the Special Investigation Headquarters for Emergency Martial Law of the Prosecutor's Office (headed by Park Se-hyun, Seoul High Prosecutor) notified President Yoon to appear at 10 a.m. that day, but he did not comply. President Yoon is both the accused and suspect in a criminal case involving charges of rebellion and abuse of power under the Criminal Act. This is the first time in constitutional history that the prosecution has summoned a sitting president as a suspect, and including former presidents, he is the sixth after former presidents Roh Tae-woo, Chun Doo-hwan, Roh Moo-hyun, Park Geun-hye, and Lee Myung-bak.