A National Assembly staff member is seen taking down a collage of former presidents, including Yoon Suk Yeol, Tuesday. (Courtesy of Rep. Woo Won-shik's office)
A National Assembly staff member is seen taking down a collage of former presidents, including Yoon Suk Yeol, Tuesday. (Courtesy of Rep. Woo Won-shik's office)

A photo of former President Yoon Suk Yeol's 2022 inauguration ceremony has been removed from the National Assembly building, National Assembly Speaker Rep. Woo Won-shik's office said Tuesday.

Woo said in his statement that he approved the decision to replace Yoon's photo in the basement of the National Assembly building with that of the incumbent President Lee Jae Myung.

Yoon's photo on the basement floor of the National Assembly main building was previously part of the four-photo collage alongside former Presidents Lee Myung-bak, Park Geun-hye and Moon Jae-in. A National Assembly staff member on Tuesday hung a new collage including Lee's photo.

This photo shows a collage of former presidents and incumbent President Lee Jae Myung (right, bottom) placed along an aisle of a basement floor of the National Assembly's main building on Tuesday. (Courtesy of Rep. Woo Won-shik's office)
This photo shows a collage of former presidents and incumbent President Lee Jae Myung (right, bottom) placed along an aisle of a basement floor of the National Assembly's main building on Tuesday. (Courtesy of Rep. Woo Won-shik's office)

Woo said that leaving the photo of a figure who attempted to take over the National Assembly by force inside the National Assembly building would mean a "failure to uphold the spirit of the Constitution." He added that his decision was based on a district court ruling in February that found Yoon guilty of leading an insurrection through a failed martial law declaration in December 2024.

Cho Kuk, the leader of the minor liberal Rebuilding Korea Party who requested the photo be removed, hailed the decision Tuesday by saying Woo's action deserves respect.


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