Yoon Seok-youl's Calligraphy Plaque Defaced with 'Insurrection' by Man in 40s Sent to Prosecutors

A man in his 40s, who defaced a plaque inscribed with former President Yoon Seok-youl's handwritten calligraphy with the word 'insurrection,' has been sent to prosecutors on charges of property damage.

On the 5th, the Changwon Central Police Department announced that it had sent the 40-year-old man, a member of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, to prosecutors on charges of property damage for vandalizing the plaque.

The man, referred to as A, is accused of writing the word 'insurrection' in black spray paint on the plaque installed at the Changwon Regional Headquarters of the Korea Industrial Complex Corporation right after the December 3rd emergency martial law incident last year.

A, a member of the Gyeongnam branch of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, reportedly carried out this act alongside his colleagues, claiming it was an expression of "anger towards the martial law." The police have investigated the case since filing and ultimately concluded that A's act of defacement constituted damage to the plaque.

"An expression of anger towards the martial law"

The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions has strongly opposed the police's judgment, stating that A's actions are "an exercise of freedom of expression and political resistance." The damaged plaque has since been covered with a black cloth and remains unrepaired to this day.

The plaque is owned by Changwon City and was created to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Changwon National Industrial Complex in April of last year.

The plaque features the inscription, "The Cradle of an Industrial Power, Changwon National Industrial Complex, 2024.4.24, President Yoon Seok-youl," handwritten by the former president, and the cost of its installation, including the sculpture, was approximately 700 million won.

In a similar case, a man in his 20s was sentenced to 6 months in prison with a 2-year probation for splattering red paint on a plaque at Sejong City Hall inscribed with former President Park Geun-hye's handwritten calligraphy.

Image source: Photo provided by Gyeongnam branch of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, Yoon Seok-youl / News1