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DP leader deletes photo of himself wearing golden crown after backlash

Published: 23 Aug. 2025, 12:49 Updated: 24 Aug. 2025, 14:43

The photo shows Democratic Party leader Jung Chung-rae with Korea's National Treasure No. 188, the Gold Crown from the Gyeongju Cheonmachong. The photo, shared on Jung's Facebook profile on Aug. 20 was later deleted. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Democratic Party (DP) leader Jung Chung-rae deleted a photo from social media after controversy erupted over an image that appeared to show him wearing a golden crown.

Jung and DP leadership visited Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang, from Tuesday to Wednesday to check on preparations for the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit to taking place in the city.

"The upcoming APEC summit is a very important diplomatic event," Jung said during the visit. “There is no ruling or opposition party when it comes to national interest, and we must do our best to pursue it.”

On Wednesday, he uploaded around 30 photos related to the Gyeongju visit on his Facebook with a remark reading "We have thoroughly checked APEC summit arrangements."

One photo taken at the Gyeongju National Museum became the center of controversy. The shot made it look like Jung was wearing a Gold Crown from the Gyeongju Cheonmachong, which is listed as National Treasure No. 188.

While some supporters left words of encouragement, critical comments soon followed.

“The party leader is not a king.”

“Stop monarch-style politics and listen to party members.”

“Please avoid unnecessary controversies, and focus on your work.”

“You’re being mocked with that crown photo.”

As the criticism continued, Jung deleted the image from his Facebook account around 5:09 p.m. on Thursday.

This year’s APEC summit will take place for six days in Gyeongju from Oct. 27 through Nov.1.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY CHO MUN-GYU [[email protected]]