'Naeran' Graffiti on Yoon Sukyeol's Monument Built with 700 Million Won in Taxpayer Money... Man in His 40s Referred to Prosecution

KCTU Calls It "Political Resistance"
Changwon City Yet to Decide on Monument's Fate

At the end of last year, shortly after the declaration of martial law, a man in his 40s who wrote the word "naeran" (insurrection) on the handwritten calligraphy monument of former President Yoon Sukyeol was referred to the prosecution on charges of property damage.

A man in his 40s who wrote the word "naeran" (insurrection) on the handwritten calligraphy monument of former President Yoon Sukyeol was referred to the prosecution on charges of property damage. Korean Confederation of Trade Unions Gyeongnam Headquarters

On July 5, the Changwon Jungbu Police Station in Gyeongnam announced that a member of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions Gyeongnam Headquarters, identified as Mr. A, was sent to the prosecution without detention on charges of property damage. Mr. A is accused of using black spray paint to write the word "naeran" (insurrection) on a monument installed in front of the Gyeongnam Regional Headquarters of the Korea Industrial Complex Corporation in Changwon on December 10, 2024.

The monument is an installation engraved with former President Yoon's calligraphy, reading "Cradle of an Industrial Powerhouse, Changwon National Industrial Complex, 2024.4.24. President Yoon Sukyeol," and was created with a budget of 700 million won.

During the investigation, Mr. A reportedly stated that his actions were "an expression of citizens' anger at the martial law measures." The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions Gyeongnam Headquarters also defined this as political resistance and has strongly protested the police investigation. They argued that "criticism of the government is a freedom of expression guaranteed by the Constitution."

Currently, the monument is covered with a black cloth. The Changwon city government has not yet announced a clear position regarding whether the monument will be removed or restored.

This is not the first time a presidential monument has been defaced. In a previous case, a man in his 20s was given a suspended prison sentence for spraying red paint on a calligraphy monument of former President Park Geunhye. After much debate over whether to maintain it, that monument still remains in front of Sejong City Hall.