"The President Sent to Us by Heaven"
"840,528 Minutes Thinking Only of the People"
Lyrics of the 'Yoon Tribute Song' Presented by the Presidential Security Service
"Let us all celebrate this meaningful day when the president, sent to us by heaven for a new Republic of Korea, was born."
Amid allegations that Kim Seong-hoon, deputy chief of the Presidential Security Service (PSS) known to be in the circle of First Lady Kim Geon-hee, planned an event using a luxury protocol vehicle for the First Lady’s birthday last year, it has been revealed that the PSS also effectively organized a birthday party for President Yoon during the PSS’s 60th anniversary event two years ago. During that event, the PSS even performed a presidential tribute song, which was found to be filled with overt praise for President Yoon, according to a report by SBS on the 16th.
According to SBS, on December 18, 2023, the Presidential Security Service held a 60th anniversary ceremony in the auditorium of the Presidential Office. At the event, PSS staff sang a song with the lyrics, “840,528 precious minutes, you who only thought of the people.” The figure “840,528 minutes” corresponds to 587 days. Counting back 587 days from the event date lands on May 10, 2022, the day President Yoon Seok-yeol was inaugurated.
This song is a parody of “Seasons of Love” from the famous musical Rent, with the PSS suspected of rewriting the lyrics to praise President Yoon for the 60th anniversary event. The original lyrics refer to “525,600 precious minutes in a year.” Coincidentally, the 60th anniversary event took place on President Yoon’s birthday (December 18).
The next song was a parody of singer Kwon Jin-won’s “Happy Birthday to You,” with altered lyrics including the line, “Let us all celebrate this meaningful day when the president, sent to us by heaven for a new Republic of Korea, was born.” It is reported that the PSS even required musicians involved in producing the presidential tribute song to sign non-disclosure agreements. Additionally, a “Yoon Seok-yeol acrostic poem contest” was held among PSS staff.
The event was overseen by former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun, who was then the head of the PSS, and planned by Kim Seong-hoon, deputy chief of the PSS and head of the Planning and Management Office. The audio tracks were produced about a week before the event at a recording studio in Seoul by musicians who had been pre-arranged. It is reported that some PSS staff also observed the recording. On the day of the event, the pre-recorded songs with the rewritten lyrics were played while PSS staff performed a chorus. Some PSS employees reportedly responded with self-deprecating remarks such as, “Do people in security work have to do things like this?”
Earlier, on the 13th, controversy arose over claims that PSS staff were mobilized by some senior officials to curry favor with President Yoon and his wife, including purchasing clothes for the presidential residence’s pet dogs. Yoon Geon-young, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea who appeared on MBC Radio’s “Kim Jong-bae’s Focus,” stated, “Security officers bought clothes for the dogs kept at the presidential residence.” Yoon claimed that Kim Seong-hoon gained President Yoon’s favor by handling matters related to the president’s father’s funeral in 2023, and that such orders to PSS staff were likely issued through Kim.
There were also allegations that Kim Seong-hoon accompanied President Yoon and the First Lady on their vacation last year, setting up karaoke machines and organizing fireworks displays. Additionally, it is reported that on the First Lady’s birthday in September last year, a surprise event was staged by sending a luxury protocol vehicle, a Mercedes-Maybach filled with congratulatory banners and balloons in the trunk, to the Hannam-dong presidential residence.
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