I am an editorial writer at The Korea Times, focusing on foreign policy, North Korea and domestic politics. My key areas of interest include North Korea, foreign interference in elections, election integrity, cyberattacks and human rights. Prior to joining the Editorial Board, I served as both Politics Desk editor and Culture Desk editor. During my career, I have reported on the Presidential Office under the Lee Myung-bak administration, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Assembly.
Photographer quits UNESCO commission over disputes
By Kang Hyun-kyung
A veteran photographer quit taking photos for the Korea National Commission for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) after the organization learned about his “inappropriate” directorship of a photography project involving World War II sex slaves.
According to the UNESCO Korea Commission, the photographer, surnamed Ji, was tapped as its official photographer in February on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of its founding.
The Korea Commission said it didn’t know the photographer was involved in the controversial 2004 nude photo project featuring actress Lee Seung-yeon as a sex slave when it chose him for the key post.
Ji is a renowned photographer and his projects included former President Lee Myung-bak’s profile photos when Lee served as mayor of Seoul City and he took photos of celebrities such as singer Cho Yong-pil and actor Jang Dong-gun.
After it became aware of his involvement in the project, the Commission concluded that his past record could hurt the image of the commission, prompting officials to hold discussions about his appointment. Ji reportedly expressed his intention to resign Friday, four months after he took up the post.
The non-profit advocacy group Korea Council for the Women Drafted for Military Sexual Slavery by Japan said that Ji didn’t deserve such a post.
“We believe that both Ji and actress Lee were also victims as the entertainment company drove them to take part in such a commercially-motivated project,” it said. “We know that Ji repented after the photos caused a stir years ago. Despite this, it was worrisome that a person like him was chosen as an official photographer of the UNESCO Korea Commission, and this is very much so, considering the status of the organization.”
The “sex slave” photos caused a stir in February, 2004 when actress Lee, in collaboration with her management agency, unveiled a few semi-nude photos of her in the collection during a news conference.
These photos featuring the actress were taken in Palau, an island country located in the Western Pacific Ocean. The island was one of the locations where comfort stations were set up by the Japanese military during World War II.
The nude photo project caused a public uproar, especially from the victims of the sexual slavery and women’s groups. In a statement, the victims accused the actress and her agency of pursuing their commercial interests using a sad part of the country’s history.