Kim Rahn is the managing editor of The Korea Times. Since joining the company in 2003, she has covered various beats including the presidential office, Seoul city government, the Bank of Korea and the tourism industry. In 2014, she won the Society of Publishers in Asia (SOPA) award for her coverage of the ordeals of migrant women in Korea.
Government uses train of satire to trample on freedom of expression
Culture Minister Park Bo-gyoon looks at a cartoon satirizing the Yoon Suk-yeol government through a monitor during a parliamentary audit of the ministry at the National Assembly, Seoul, Oct. 5. /Joint Press Corps
By Kim Rahn
By Kim Rahn
A train has recently brought about a heated debate here.
It is the “Yoonsukyeolcha,” a train with the face of President Yoon Suk-yeol. The name is a portmanteau of the president's name and the Korean word for “train.” This train is the subject of a prizewinning cartoon satirizing the Yoon administration ― the train is running with first lady Kim Keon-hee in the engine room and people wearing prosecutor's gowns and holding swords in the passenger cars, while people in front of it are scared and running away.
This work, created by a female high school student, won the first prize in the high school category of a cartoon contest organized by the Korea Manhwa Contents Agency and was displayed during the Bucheon International Comics Festival earlier this month.
Several issues have been raised about the cartoon, including plagiarism allegations that it copied a cartoon satirizing former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, published in the U.K. daily The Sun in 2019. But depictions of politicians as running locomotives have been common in editorial cartoons, and the creator of The Sun's cartoon, Steve Bright, himself told a Korean broadcaster via email, “This student has not in any way violated my work,” and, “(It is) absolutely not plagiarism.”
But besides the plagiarism accusation, what matters more to people in the cartoon industry and beyond ― perhaps those in any art and cultural content-related industry ― is the issue of freedom of expression, because Korea's artists have a past source of trauma: a government blacklist.
Beginning in 2016, it was found that the conservative former Park Geun-hye administration had drawn up a blacklist of more than 9,000 artists critical of the government. Those on the list were put at a disadvantage, such as being unable to receive state funding or being excluded from government projects. Not only were small artist groups in need of government funding included on the list, but also, major industry players ― such as CJ Group's arms related to movie investment, production and distribution ― faced unfair treatment from the government. World-renowned artists, including directors Park Chan-wook and Bong Joon-ho as well as actors Song Kang-ho, Jung Woo-sung and Park Hae-il, were also on the blacklist for making or appearing in films critical of conservative administrations.
The history of this blacklist is making people in the country's content creation industries vehemently protest the current administration's recent moves: the culture ministry issued a “stern warning” to the contest organizer for selecting a cartoon that deals openly with a political issue. The ministry added that the organizer had committed a “procedural error” when receiving the applications and thus, it would take action not to support the contest anymore including via the provision of subsidies.
Dozens of artists' groups ― not only in the cartoon field but also beyond ― have issued statements to denounce the ministry's moves, saying that what the Yoon administration is doing is effectively drawing up “a second blacklist.”
Of course the ministry denies it. Culture Minister Park Bo-gyoon said at a parliamentary audit of the ministry last week that the Yoon administration guarantees freedom of expression and creation, saying, “We did not take issue with the cartoon. We took issue with the Korea Manhwa Contents Agency, because it politically tainted a student cartoon contest, which has been renowned for its pure artistic value.”
However, this explanation shows that the ministry has very narrow understanding of what constitutes art. Art isn't just beautiful paintings, sweet melodies and great mise-en-scenes. Reflecting on society and voicing opinions on social issues have long been some of the most important values and functions of art ― which of course includes satire.
The ministry's actions are even against President Yoon's own earlier stance. In October of last year during his presidential campaign, Yoon appeared on “Saturday Night Live Korea,” which was one of the programs on former President Park's blacklist and faced disadvantages during the Park administration. When asked whether he, if elected president, would help SNL have the freedom to satirize politicians, Yoon said: “(Political satire) is not something that a president helps, but rather it is SNL's right (to do).”
Then during a meeting with young artists in Seoul in December, Yoon also said, “Comedy is lampooning reality … In the majority of cases, comedy gets applause from people and is popular only when it satirizes the privileged in politics and society.”
After his election as president in March, Yoon met director Park and actors Song, Jung and Park in June to celebrate the director and Song receiving awards at Cannes. At the time Yoon said, “The principle of the government's policy on art and culture is 'support without interference,'” reiterating the slogan pursued by the former liberal Kim Dae-jung administration at the end of 1990s when hallyu first started to bloom.
It is still early to conclude that the Yoon administration is following in the footsteps of the former Park administration. The ministry's move could be due to its excessive loyalty to the president or an overreaction to the young cartoonist's work. But it cannot just be laughed off ― especially by the culture industry ― as long as the trauma of the blacklist remains.