The idiom of the year selected by professors across the country is ‘Gyeonrimangui (見利忘義).’ This means that righteousness has taken a backseat as we pursue our own interests. What scenes are included in this year’s press photos selected by Kyunghyang Shinmun photo department reporters? Were there many scenes as harsh as the professors’ diagnoses? Last of 2023 has collected some shots of the year selected by each photojournalist.
■Golden moment after 29 years
Women’s badminton reaches the top in Asia / Reporter Jaewon Moon
Korean women’s badminton ranks first in Asia. It has been 29 years since the 1994 Hiroshima Asian Games. This is a scene of Kim Ga-eun jumping and hitting a smash in the women’s team finals of the 19th Hangzhou Asian Games held on October 1. Against the host country, China, they won the gold medal with an overwhelming score of ‘3 to 0’ without giving up a single set. We hope that exciting scenes like this will be frequently captured on camera in the new year of 2024. Reporter Jaewon Moon
■Osong underpass disaster
Osong underpass disaster search operation / Reporter Seong Dong-hoon
A disaster occurred this year as well. The Gungpyeong 2 Underpass in Osong-eup, Heungdeok-gu, Cheongju-si, Chungcheongbuk-do was flooded around 8:40 a.m. on July 15. This is because the nearby Miho Stream overflowed due to heavy rain. 14 people were killed and 11 were injured. The photo shows 119 rescue workers conducting a search the day after the disaster. The prosecution indicted the supervisor of the Mihocheon Bridge expansion project. It is alleged that the existing embankment was illegally demolished and a temporary embankment was installed to facilitate construction. A stopgap measure that was only meant to make things easier for oneself ended up costing the lives of 11 people. Reporter Seong Dong-hoon
■Apology after 43 years
Apology by Chun Doo-hwan’s grandson Jeon Woo-won / Reporter Kwon Do-hyeon
It was the last day of March, when it was still chilly. Jeon Woo-won, the grandson of former President Chun Doo-hwan, took off his coat and cleaned the tombstone of the late Moon Jae-hak, who died while participating in the democratization movement 43 years ago. Kim Gil-ja, the mother of the deceased, said, “Is this young student guilty of something?” . “Jaehak, Chun Doo-hwan’s grandson has come and apologized,” he said, watching Jeon’s visit with tears in his eyes. Jeon Woo-won was the first member of the Chun Doo-hwan family to meet with the bereaved families of the May 18 Democratization Movement and apologize. After finishing his visit, Mr. Jeon said, “I am grateful for giving a precious opportunity to a sinner like me,” and “I am sorry for coming so late.” The person who truly deserves an apology died after insulting Gwangju all his life. Reporter Kwon Do-hyeon
■2023 political landscape without dialogue and compromise
Nursing bill re-vote rejected / Senior reporter Park Min-gyu
The politics of 2023 were truly one of perseverance. Dialogue and compromise were missing between the National Assembly and the President’s Office. There was no politics. The legislative body passed the bill through force of numbers, and the President’s Office exercised the so-called veto right (right to request reconsideration) to request reconsideration of the passed bill. It was repeated three times. The Grain Management Act amendment (April 4), the Nursing Act enactment (May 16), the Yellow Bag Act and the 3 Broadcasting Act amendments (December 1). The photo shows members of the Korean Nurses Association, who were watching the re-vote on the Nursing Act at the plenary session of the National Assembly on May 30, leaving after the bill was rejected. It was a bill containing contents stipulating the state’s responsibility for improving the working environment and treatment of nurses. There is a high possibility that the ‘double special prosecution’ bill at the end of the year, which deals with the suspicions of Daejang-dong and First Lady Kim Kun-hee, will be vetoed again at the beginning of the new year. Senior Reporter Park Min-gyu
■“We oppose the discharge of contaminated water from Fukushima”
Fukushima radioactive contaminated water / Reporter Kim Chang-gil
On March 11, 12 years after the explosion of the Fukushima nuclear power plant, members of the Japan Joint Action to Prevent Radioactive Contaminated Water Discharge performed a performance demanding long-term storage of contaminated water near the Presidential Office building in Yongsan-gu, Seoul. Five months later, on August 24, Japan discharged contaminated water despite the dissuasion of neighboring countries except the Korean government. The Yoon Seok-yeol government praised itself at home and abroad as if it had made major concessions, but the Japanese government is demanding one more thing. Say ‘treated water’ rather than ‘contaminated water’. The claim is that the coolant was treated with a polynuclide removal facility (ALPS), but Greenpeace’s Seoul office criticized the Japanese government for ignoring solutions proposed by many parts of the world and adopting the ALPS treatment method on the grounds that it was expensive. Reporter Kim Chang-gil
■General Hong Beom-do seen from the portrait
Commemorating the 80th anniversary of General Hong Beom-do’s death / Reporter Cho Tae-hyung
A name I had forgotten about after seeing it in a textbook appeared again before my eyes. General Hong Beom-do, the hero of the Battle of Cheongsanri. There was controversy when the Military Academy decided to remove General Hong’s bust due to his history of activities in the Soviet Communist Party. The ideological conflict surrounding history was interpreted by General Hong Beom-do in a way that benefited each party. History was also a failure. The ceremony commemorating the 80th anniversary of General Hong Beom-do’s death and the 103rd anniversary of the victory at the Battle of Cheongsanri were held at Daejeon National Cemetery on October 25. Attendees paid tribute to General Hong’s achievements by placing flowers on the altar. The black shadow of a worshiper holding a white chrysanthemum was cast on the altar covered with white cloth. General Hong Beom-do was expressionless in the black-and-white portrait that resembled a shadow and an altar. Reporter Cho Tae-hyung
■Where would it be if not a construction site?
Saemangeum World Scout Jamboree / Reporter Su-bin Han
This is not a photo of a construction site. This is the Saemangeum reclaimed land in Buan, Jeollabuk-do, where the ‘2023 World Scout Jamboree’ was held. On August 8, four days before the official closing, the scouts packed their bags. It was difficult to bear. It was a place where Typhoon ‘Kanun’ had headed north due to the infested bugs, scorching heat, poor toilets and showers, and insufficient medical facilities. About 40,000 people from 150 countries participated… . No one stepped forward to take responsibility for the public criticism. Reporter Soobin Han
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2023-12-30 00:16:59
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