South Korea president forced to defend handling of heckler after viral video

The president’s spokesperson said the action was in accordance with the law and ‘security principles’

South Korea’s president Yoon Suk Yeol

South Korea‘s president has defended his security guards’ actions when they forcibly removed a man who was heckling during a speech at a university graduation ceremony.

Videos widely shared on X showed several members of President Yoon Suk Yeol security detail muzzling and removing the man, who appeared to be a student, from the ceremony at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science & Technology (KAIST).

The man could be heard protesting against cuts to the research and development budget under the Yoon administration as the president was making vows to support researchers.

“The Presidential Security Service removed a heckler to ensure safety within a security area and order in the venue,” a spokesperson for Yoon’s office said in a statement.

The action was “inevitable” and in accordance with the law, and security principles, the spokesperson added.

Keywords such as “KAIST graduation ceremony” and “budget cuts” were trending on X in South Korea on Friday, and the incident drew criticism from opposition politicians and several ordinary Koreans.

“Apologize, President,” South Korea‘s main opposition party leader, Lee Jae-myung, wrote in a post on X.

South Korea‘s National Assembly passed a national research and development budget of 26.5 trillion won ($19.86 billion) in December for 2024, down 15% from the previous year, drawing backlash from researchers and students.

Minor progressive Jinbo Party lawmaker Kang Sung-hee was also dragged out of a venue by Yoon’s bodyguards last month at an event the president was attending.

Kang was shouting and not letting go of the president’s hand, an official at Yoon’s office said at that time.

Meanhile, hundreds of South Korean doctors rallied in the capital, Seoul, and other cities on Thursday against a government plan to boost the number of medical students.

Doctors stage a rally against the government’s medical policy near the presidential office in Seoul, South Korea (Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

Doctors’ groups say increasing the number of medical students by 2,000 starting in 2025 is too steep. They want officials to instead use available resources to raise medical fees they say are set too low.

Authorities say South Korea needs more doctors. It’s among the lowest numbers of doctors relative to the size of the population among developed countries despite growing demands for medical services fueled by a fast-aging society.

South Korea also has one of the world’s lowest birth rates and has been grappling with shortages of doctors in some key professions, including obstetrics and pediatrics, and in rural regions outside the greater capital area.