Did former South Korean President Moon Jae-in get injuries on his face due to domestic violence? No, that's not true: he stuck a bandage on his forehead to cover up a bee sting, and the bruise on his jaw is from dental implants.
The claim originated from a video (archived here) where it was published on Tiktok by @togota1233 on July 4, 2023. It opened with a clip from a newscast discussing a photo of former President Moon at his bookstore. The caption at the top and bottom of the clip reads:
Moon Jae-in domestic violence, Jung-sook did the right thing.
This is what the post looked like on TikTok at the time of writing:
(Source: TikTok screenshot taken on Thu Jul 6 15:03:52 2023 UTC)
Kim Jung-sook, the former first lady of South Korea, married Moon Jae-in in 1981. The misleading caption suggests that domestic violence caused the injuries on Moon's face. This claim is false and contradicts the information presented in the rest of the video. The video clip features a newscast from Channel A, a cable TV network, which begins by discussing a photo where Democratic party legislator Kang Sun-woo stands alongside the former president.
In the video, the anchor clarifies the actual reasons behind the bandage and bruise, revealing that they were caused by a bee sting and dental implants. There is no mention of domestic violence. When contacted by Chosun Ilbo, a conservative daily, Kang explained that Moon had been stung by a bee on the forehead and had bruising from dental implant surgery.
During his presidency, Moon had been dealing with persistent dental issues. In his autobiography, he mentioned losing around 10 teeth within the first year of assuming office due to stress. Dental implants are a common solution for replacing missing teeth and restoring chewing abilities, and it is normal to experience swelling and facial bruising after undergoing the procedure.
Moon now lives in Yangsan, where he is known to grow his own vegetables in his backyard, a possible site for the bee sting.
