South Korea’s Yoon slammed for invoking Jesus in his message sent from prison

South Korea’s jailed former president Yoon Suk-yeol has drawn sharp criticism for an Easter message from prison that opponents say amounted to comparing his downfall to the suffering of Jesus and showing his lack of remorse for his criminal acts.Yoon, who was removed from office a year ago after his short-lived imposition of martial law in December 2024, released the message on Sunday through his lawyer, Bae Ui-cheol, urging the public to “hold onto the hope of salvation even if times are difficult”.Despite a life sentence handed down in February, Yoon still has a strong base of supporters. But his message, which cast him as a martyr rather than a convict, poses a liability to his former party ahead of local elections on June 3, according to analysts.In a message posted through Bae’s social media account, Yoon said: “Jesus’ resurrection showed that if we overcome times of suffering, this land will be fully restored with freedom and truth. Even if times are hard, I pray that this Easter Sunday will be a time to endure suffering, hold onto the hope of salvation, and be reborn as children of God.”Bae said many of Yoon’s supporters, including young people, had asked for a message to “gain strength” during Easter, and that he relayed the requests when he met Yoon on Friday at the Seoul Detention Centre, where the ex-president is imprisoned.“President Yoon, who always worries about and prays for the people, gave the following message in celebration of Easter,” Bae said.The message sparked condemnation from critics and rebuttals in newspaper editorials.