Actor Jeon Won-joo attends conservative rally weeks after appearing at Democratic Party campaign event

Actor Jeon Won-joo, 86, who drew attention when she made a surprise appearance at a Democratic Party campaign event ahead of the June 3 local elections, has now turned up at a rally held by a conservative civic group led by former Korean history lecturer Jeon Han-gil, drawing fresh public interest. Her appearance at a conservative rally in downtown Seoul last weekend has prompted a wide range of reactions, with many noting the sharp reversal in her public appearances within a month.

Han-Mi Dongmaengdan, a conservative civic group headed by former Korean history lecturer Jeon Han-gil, held an "Umbrella Revolution rally" near Gwanghwamun in Seoul on July 4. The event marked the 250th anniversary of American independence and aimed to reaffirm the "firm solidarity of the South Korea-US alliance."

A live video posted to the YouTube channel "Hangil News" that day captured Jeon Won-joo at the rally, drawing considerable attention.

In the footage, Jeon was seen listening attentively to a speech by Morse Tan — known in Korea as Dan Hyeon-myeong — a former professor at Liberty University School of Law who served as the US ambassador-at-large for global criminal justice under the first Trump administration. Jeon sat with her hands clasped, nodding along as if in agreement with Tan's remarks.

During his speech, Tan claimed that since the Korean War, US and South Korean forces had always fought side by side, and that no ally had stood as close as South Korea. He said there was even a saying among US troops during the Vietnam War: "If you want to survive, stay close to the Korean soldiers." He then asserted that "for the first time in history, President Lee Jae Myung did not help the United States when it fought against Iran."

Actor Choi Jun-yong, who served as the rally's emcee, announced Jeon's presence to the crowd, saying, "Ms. Jeon Won-joo is seated with our patriotic youth — please stand up for a moment."

Jeon had previously made a surprise appearance at a Democratic Party campaign event on May 21, ahead of the June 3 local elections, drawing widespread attention at the time.

Jung Chung-rae, then Democratic Party leader, had traveled to Gongju for a campaign event alongside Park Soo-hyun, the party's candidate for South Chungcheong governor, and Kim Yeong-bin, the candidate in the Gongju-Buyeo-Cheongyang National Assembly by-election. After a party official told him Jeon Won-joo had come to see him, Jung walked over to a vehicle where Jeon was seated. She greeted him with applause and a thumbs-up.

Jung said hello to Jeon, asking how she was doing, and she stepped out of the vehicle to shake his hand. Jung thanked her in return.

Online reactions to Jeon's appearances at both a Democratic Party campaign event and a conservative rally were varied. Comments included: "She's always been the type to go wherever friends invite her," "Maybe she's just going out for a stroll here and there out of boredom," and "Turns out Jeon Won-joo is a centrist."