[Exclusive] "By President Park Jeong-hee's Order"... Controversial Completion Flag in National Assembly Switched to LED

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeon Jinyoung] The 'controversial completion plaque' erected during the construction of the National Assembly main building is being reborn. This plaque has drawn attention due to historical rectification controversies related to former President Park Jeonghee and former Speaker Jeong Ilgwon.

The completion plaque hanging on the rear side of the National Assembly Main Building. This plaque is a stone slab engraved with the writing of former National Assembly Speaker Jeong Il-gwon at the time of the National Assembly's construction, stating, "This majestic assembly hall was built by fully mobilizing our technology under the spirit of President Park Jeong-hee's aspiration for peaceful reunification and the great scale as a national assembly hall." Due to this, controversy over the "Park Jeong-hee plaque" has continued. The National Assembly Secretariat plans to erect a temporary wall in front of the plaque and cover it with an LED signboard. / Photo by Yoon Dong-ju doso7@

The National Assembly Secretariat plans to spend 350 million KRW to cover the plaque hanging behind the National Assembly main building with an LED screen. The Secretariat stated that this project is unrelated to historical issues and is part of the National Assembly's environment improvement efforts.

On the 1st, a bidding announcement regarding this matter was posted on the National Comprehensive Electronic Procurement Portal. The work involves erecting a partition wall and installing an LED screen over the plaque behind the National Assembly main building. The National Assembly expects the project to cost 350 million KRW and has allocated the corresponding budget.

The plaque was created when the National Assembly main building was constructed in 1975 and was hung under the name of former Speaker Jeong, who was the Speaker at the time. The plaque reads, "This majestic assembly hall was built by mobilizing all our knowledge, energy, resources, and technology under the spirit of President Park Jeonghee's aspiration for peaceful reunification and the great scale as the national hall," which has sparked several controversies in political circles.

Lee Nakyeon, Chair of the Democratic Party's COVID-19 National Crisis Response Committee, previously raised historical issues regarding this plaque. In 2005, when he was a member of the National Assembly, Lee urged public discussion at the National Assembly Secretariat's audit by the National Assembly Steering Committee, stating, "It is time for the National Assembly to also participate in historical rectification." He pointed out, "The problem lies in the perception that the National Assembly is a tool to realize the president's aspirations and the sense of superiority over the legislature because the assembly hall was built under the president's spirit."

During the 20th National Assembly, Kim Jonghun of the Minjung Party criticized the fact that former Speaker Jeong was listed in the Dictionary of Pro-Japanese Collaborators. According to the dictionary, former Speaker Jeong (Japanese name Nakajima Ikken) graduated from the Japanese Manchurian Military Academy and served as a captain in the Manchurian military police. At that time, the Manchurian army was a Japanese military organization suppressing anti-Japanese armed forces. Representative Kim stated, "It is shameful that the face of the National Assembly, a constitutional institution representing the people's will, is adorned by someone who served Japanese imperialist rule."

The National Assembly Secretariat maintains that this work is part of environmental improvement and unrelated to historical rectification controversies. A Secretariat official explained, "This is being carried out as part of the National Assembly environment improvement project to enhance utility," adding, "The National Assembly Space Improvement Advisory Committee raised the issue that the entrance with the plaque is dark. The LED will be installed for multiple purposes such as welcoming messages for foreign guests and promotional videos, and the plaque will also be digitized and displayed."