No peace for South Korea’s Moon Jae-in, or fellow retirees, as noisy, rude protesters bombard his now-not-so-sleepy village

Pyeongsan in nation’s south is home to about 100 people, including recently retired liberal president Moon Jae-in

Conservative protesters, some earning money via live-streams, have upset Moon and other elderly locals, with several taken to hospital with stress

3-MIN READ3-MIN

Pyeongsan in South Korea’s south is home to about 100 people, including recently retired liberal president Moon Jae-in. Conservative protesters have upset Moon and other elderly locals, with several taken to hospital with stress. Photo: Weibo

Published: 11:56am, 8 Jun 2022Updated: 4:28pm, 8 Jun 2022

When former president Moon Jae-in retired last month to the village of Pyeongsan in southern South Korea, home to around 100 people, he said he could now live a hermit’s life, forgotten by the rest of the world.

That was the dream he had cherished while struggling through daunting presidential tasks piling up on his desk every day during his five years in office.

But it took only a few hours’ journey for the 69-year-old liberal to get to his house, 300km (186 miles) from Seoul, and find the dream shattered – he and his wife were met by well-wishers but also by boisterous ultra rightists swearing with the help of loudspeakers and waving banners inscribed with foul words and comments.

The noise and nastiness, which has calmed down somewhat but is still going on, has also upset the village’s other residents, many of whom are elderly; some are said to have been hospitalised from the stress and insomnia.

Former South Korean president Moon Jae-in retired last month to the village of Pyeongsan. His family has complained to police about protesters near his home. Photo: Moon Jae-in, Twitter

For many protesters – the number of them tending to fluctuate between 20 and 50 at any one time – Moon’s departure from his closed off VIP existence at the presidential Blue House to an everyday private life (although, of course, he still has security) was an opportunity to continue a vendetta in the name of Moon’s rival, former conservative president Park Geun-hye, the daughter of late dictator Park Chung-hee.