Chungam High School alumni association presidents, including those from the past, urged Yoon Myung-hwa, chairperson of the Chungam Foundation, who referred to President Yoon Suk-yeol as a "shameful graduate."
The Chungam High School alumni association board visited Chungam High on the 24th and delivered an "apology and resignation request" urging Yoon's resignation.
The resignation request stated, "The current chairperson of the Chungam Foundation made political statements representing a specific camp on a sharply conflicting political issue in a public setting, which is clearly a matter that should be condemned for being extremely inappropriate."
It continued, "The school authorities must protect students from some politically biased and extreme citizens who criticize them," and added, "Yoon acted very recklessly in trying to divide the Chungam Foundation for his political ambitions."
It criticized, "Although he is not an educator with specialized training, as an operator of a private educational foundation and a public figure, his actions are extremely inappropriate and reckless."
Earlier, on the 14th, Yoon introduced himself as the chairperson of the Chungam Foundation at a rally in support of impeachment held in Gwanghwamun, Jongno District, Seoul, saying, "Insurrectionist Yoon Suk-yeol, Lee Sang-min, Kim Yong-hyun, and Yeo In-hyung are graduates of Chungam Academy," and stated, "I reflected on witnessing the brave opposition of the citizens against soldiers invading the National Assembly during the state of emergency on Dec. 3."
He added, "The day after the declaration of the state of emergency, I wrote on my social media, 'I want to select Yoon Suk-yeol and his cohorts as Chungam's shameful graduates a million times,'" and claimed, "The Yoon administration has betrayed the people, privatized the nation, and committed unconstitutional tyranny that undermines democracy."
The resignation request delivered by the alumni association board on that day included names of a total of 14 individuals, including the current 16th president Kim Jae-woo. All participated except for two deceased individuals among the alumni association presidents from the 1st to the 16th.
President Kim conveyed his intention to visit the chairperson several times but reportedly delivered the document as Yoon did not respond. It is also known that legal procedures will be pursued if there is no apology from Yoon.
Chungam High is the alma mater of President Yoon (8th), former Minister of National Defense Kim Yong-hyun (7th), former Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min (12th), and former National Defense Intelligence Command Chief Yeo In-hyung (17th).
The Chungam High School alumni association organized a group called "Chungam people who love Yoon Suk-yeol (Yoonchungmo)" during Yoon's presidential campaign but has not taken a specific stance since the Dec. 3 state of emergency due to internal divisions. In January, a post stating "May God's blessings be with President Yoon's future" was posted on the alumni association's website but was later amended due to controversy over 'advocating insurrection.'
Yoon, appointed as chairperson of the Chungam Foundation in 2022, was elected as a Seoul City Council member in 2010 after running as a Democratic Party candidate in the local elections in Jungnang District, Seoul, and participated as a founding member in Lee Jae-myung's support group during the 2021 presidential election.
The Chungam Foundation, which operates Chungam High, has been managed by a trustee system dispatched by the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education since 2017 due to food service corruption and employment irregularities among staff. Yoon was appointed as chairperson in May 2022.