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Gorilla-drawing lawmaker says 'no meaning' behind doodle during audit

Published: 28 Oct. 2025, 18:37

Conservative People Power Party candidate Yoo Yeong-ha, who is running in Daegu Dalseo A District in the 22nd National Assembly elections, poses for the press after completing his registration at the Dalseo District Election Commission in Daegu on March 21. [NEWS1]

Conservative People Power Party lawmaker Yoo Yeong-ha offered no explanation for why he was drawing a gorilla during a parliamentary audit, saying only that there was no particular reason.

When asked by the Korean news outlet Hankyoreh on Tuesday what the drawing was in reference to, Yoo replied via text message, “There is no meaning.”

In a separate text to a JTBC reporter who asked why he was so focused on sketching the gorilla, Yoo simply replied, “I’m sorry.” It remains unclear whether he was apologizing for his behavior during the audit or for not answering the question.

Yoo was caught on camera on Monday sketching a gorilla during a parliamentary audit of the Financial Services Commission and Financial Supervisory Service, held by the National Assembly’s National Policy Committee.

Photos show that Yoo had searched “gorilla” on a portal website, enlarged a caricature among the image results, and was using it as a reference for his sketch.

Yoo was reportedly seen first sketching the gorilla in pencil on a blank sheet of paper, then coloring it in. His reason for doing so during the audit remains unknown.

That same day, Yoo criticized the government’s real estate policies.

“During his candidacy, President Lee Jae Myung said he would increase housing supply rather than suppress demand to maintain reasonable prices,” said Yoo. “But the government is now doing the exact opposite.”

“People who still can’t buy a home feel hopeless, homeowners are gripped by anxiety and tenants are being pushed from jeonse [long-term housing deposit leases] into monthly rentals,” said Yoo. “The government must understand that scapegoating one vice minister won’t solve the problem.”

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 HYEON YE-SEUL [[email protected]]