Korean Priest Banned for Social Media Attack on [South Korean] President

UCANews ^ | 11/17/22 | UCA News Reporter

[marshmallow]

Priest caricatured the South Korean president and his wife falling from presidential aircraft

A Catholic bishop in South Korea has banned a priest from public ministry following public outrage over recent social media posts which included caricatures of President Yoon Seok-yeol and First Lady Kim Kun-hee falling from an aircraft.

Bishop Augustinus Jong-soo Kim of Daejeon diocese also apologized for “the hurt and shock that many people” suffered because of the “inappropriate words and actions” of Father Park Joo-hwan, a diocesan priest.

The priest is also suspended from carrying out public ministries such as Mass and confession, Bishop Kim said in a statement published on Nov 15 on the diocesan website.

“Father Park Joo-hwan will have time to deeply reflect and introspect himself for a long time,” said the statement.

In a now-deleted Facebook post, published on Nov. 12, Father Park combined images of President Yoon and his wife falling from the presidential plane.

The images also included a picture of a child praying with the words: "it was a simple accident due to a glitch, and it's not anyone's fault."

Father Park told a South Korean news agency that he wanted to “express public discontent” in the wake of the Itaewon stampede disaster that killed at least 158 people and injured 196 last month.

The priest said he was “embarrassed by the attention” his cartoon-like post had attracted.

Bishop Kim said Father Park’s “post was clearly against the teachings of the Catholic Church … it is clear that they [the pictures] are not the public position of the Church.”

Father Park also posted another incendiary post a day earlier accusing police of inaction and failing to prevent the Itaewon disaster.

[ASOC]

At least he wasn’t over at the draft board burning down the building....