Controversy is escalating over an opposition lawmaker who displayed a caricature painting portraying President Park Geun-hye in the nude at a parliamentary building. 

While the disputed lawmaker cited artists’ freedom of expression, other parliamentary figures -- including ranking members of his own party -- described the painting as misogynic and discourteous.

The conservative camp Wednesday hurled criticism at Rep. Pyo Chang-won, a first-termer of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, for holding a satirical art exhibition that included the disputed piece. 

The picture, titled “Dirty Sleep,” shows Park lying down naked on a couch in a parody of the renowned “Olympia” by French artist Edouard Monet. This was part of an exhibition of so-called “blacklist artists,” referring to those who were allegedly identified by the Park administration for their anti-government stance and excluded from subsidies and key projects.

Despite its intention to depict Park’s dereliction of duty and her inappropriate ties with her confidante Choi Soon-sil, the piece immediately came under fire for its sexually discriminative portrayal of the female president.

“This is not just misogyny but a disgrace to our nation’s dignity,” said Kim Sung-eun, a member of the ruling Saenuri Party’s emergency council, demanding the Democratic Party to expel Rep. Pyo and for the latter to step down from his parliamentary seat.

Kim also extended the blame to Moon Jae-in, the party’s former chairman and a presidential front-runner of the opposition party, for recruiting Pyo ahead of the general election last year.

“Moon, too, should express his apology and take active measures to calm the dispute.”

The Bareun Party, which officially took sail Tuesday after splitting from Saenuri, also called for self-control and dignity in the freedom of artistic expression. 

“Artists may certainly satirize politicians without restraint, but politicians should not make use of them for political purposes,” said Rep. Choung Byoung-gug, the newly elected chairman of the party.

Floor Leader Rep. Joo Ho-young added that the painting was an insult not only to the president but also to all women.

Facing disapproval from the political circle and the public, the Democratic Party also set about taking measures.

“The party is considering holding a disciplinary meeting to decide on Rep. Pyo’s sanctions,” chief spokesperson Rep. Youn Kwan-suk told reporters.

“We believe it will be best to round off the talks before the Lunar New Year holiday, as early as tomorrow if possible.”

Floor leader Rep. Woo Sang-ho defined Rep. Pyo’s involvement in the exhibition as a “punishable act.”

“If someone had drawn a nude painting of former President Roh Moo-hyun during his (parliamentary) impeachment, we would not have remained silent,” he said during a party meeting.

The former liberal president was impeached in 2004 over allegedly breaching political neutrality but was later reinstated by the Constitutional Court.

Pyo largely kept silent Wednesday, but had said earlier that it is up to the artist’s free will to decide whether to have the disputed painting removed. He also added that he personally does not approve of the piece and that he had no knowledge of the details of the exhibition beforehand.

This was not the first time that the former professor at the National Police University has faced a dispute since he joined politics last year.

Last year, Rep. Pyo vowed to go public with the list of Saenuri lawmakers who voted against the president’s impeachment bill.

More recently, he suggested that elected public posts should only be allowed to those aged 65 or under, apparently targeting potential conservative presidential candidate Ban Ki-moon, aged 72.

By Bae Hyun-jung (tellme@heraldcorp.com)