Hansen's disease patients, Buddhists both unhappy over president's Lunar New Year gifts featuring church, cross

President Yoon Suk Yeol and first lady Kim Keon Hee’s Lunar New Year gifts triggered controversy, as they were presented to Buddhist leaders in packaging featuring illustrations of a church, cross and rosary drawn by Hansen’s disease patients. An association of Hansen’s disease patients also expressed displeasure, saying the patients were hurt by the controversy which they said caused by prejudice.

According to the presidential office, Friday, Korean Hansen Welfare Association President Kim In-kwon sent a letter to Yoon and Kim expressing the association’s regret over the controversy.

“We feel sorry that the cross in the drawings hurt someone’s mind,” reads the letter. “Since we are living on Sorok Island, we drew cultural properties and scenes surrounding us, but unfortunately it ended up being seen as prejudice.”

The letter continued, “Not only the people on Sorok Island but also other Hansen’s disease patients wish that all misunderstandings caused by our drawings can be cleared, and everybody can have a happy Lunar New Year.”

Korean presidential couples traditionally offer gift boxes containing regional products from across the country to community leaders, veterans and the underprivileged on the occasions of Lunar New Year and Chuseok holidays.

This year’s Lunar New Year gift includes a traditional liquor from Gongju, South Chuncheong Province; pine nuts from Gapyeong, Gyeonggi Province; and beef jerky from Hoengseong County, Gangwon Province.

While revealing this year’s gift on Wednesday, the office said it replaced the liquor and beef jerky with honey and mushroom slices for the Buddhist community.

All of the gifts were packaged in boxes printed with drawings by patients at the Sorokdo National Hospital on the island, which specializes in treating Hansen’s disease, and the drawings included religious imagery. Also included was a prayer of Hansen’s disease patients which ends with “Amen.”

This triggered complaints from the Buddhist community that the gifts are inappropriate and the presidential office is showing a religious bias.

Following the criticisms, presidential chief of staff Lee Kwan-sup and senior presidential secretary for civil and social affairs Hwang Sang-moo on Thursday visited Jogye Temple, which is the headquarters of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism, and delivered apologies, saying “we were not thoughtful enough.”

Ven. Jinwoo, the president of Jogye Order, accepted the apologies, saying “it is seen as a mistake, and I will explain this to the believers.”