"President Park Chung-hee So Pitiful" Gwanghwamun Park Chung-hee Funeral Hall, Memorial Controversy [Report]

Our Republican Party Sets Up 'Park Chung-hee Memorial Altar' at Gwanghwamun Square
Commemorating the 41st Anniversary of Late President Park Chung-hee's Death
"A Great Contributor to Economic Development," "Is There a Need to Mourn a Dictator?" Mixed Reactions
Our Republican Party: "Park Chung-hee a Dictator? We Regret That"

On the afternoon of the 26th at 1 PM, supporters of former President Park Chung-hee created a memorial altar behind King Sejong in Gwanghwamun Square, Jongno, Seoul, to commemorate the 41st anniversary of former President Park. Photo by Han Seung-gon hsg@asiae.co.kr

[Asia Economy reporters Han Seung-gon, Heo Mi-dam, Kang Joo-hee, Kim Young-eun] "How can we not feel sorry for President Park Jeong-hee?" , "Salute to President Park Jeong-hee!"

On the 41st anniversary of the death of former President Park Jeong-hee, the Our Republican Party set up a memorial altar for the late president at Gwanghwamun Square in Jongno, Seoul, starting from the 23rd. Citizens' reactions to this were sharply divided. Some believe he was the architect of the economic foundation of Korean society, while others view him as a dictator who did not guarantee democracy.

On the 26th, Kim (75), a man met in front of the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in Gwanghwamun, raised his voice saying, "Even young people in their 20s and 30s nowadays should know about President Park Jeong-hee."

He argued, "If you know how much President Park contributed to our economy, you cannot help but visit the memorial altar over there. When I was young, many people starved to death. But now, there are no such people living like that. It's because President Park laid a solid foundation."

Park (67), a woman nearby, also said she has been visiting the memorial altar every day since it was set up on the 23rd. She said, "I don't understand why the government wants to dismantle the memorial altar. What is the problem with honoring a president with great achievements? Shouldn't the country originally commemorate him? Since the government doesn't do it, we have no choice but to mourn among ourselves."

Another man, Kim (76), also emphasized, "It is only natural to set up a memorial altar for President Park. Our current living standards would have been impossible without Presidents Park Jeong-hee and Park Geun-hye."

On the 26th, the memorial altar for former President Park Chung-hee was installed at Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul. Citizens continue to visit to pay their respects to the late President Park. Photo by Seunggon Han hsg@asiae.co.kr

The memorial altar for former President Park Jeong-hee was set up behind the statue of King Sejong at Gwanghwamun Square. The Our Republican Party installed two tents with a banner reading "National Hero President Park Jeong-hee 41st Anniversary Memorial Altar" at around 12:30 a.m. on the 23rd at Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul.

The Our Republican Party stated that the memorial period for the late president would be from 10 a.m. on the 24th until 6 p.m. on the 26th, and they planned to operate the altar during this time.

In front of the altar, In Ji-yeon, a senior member of the Our Republican Party, explained, "About 10,000 citizens have visited the altar over the past three days since the 24th." She added, "Currently, the 20s and 30s generation grew up with distorted information about President Park due to left-wing power forces. They only know him as a dictator who suppressed democracy, which is the result of incorrect education, and I find it regrettable."

She also raised criticism toward the Moon Jae-in administration. In said to President Moon, "Although the sovereignty of the Republic of Korea belongs to the people, the Moon administration is controlling and suppressing the people's square, the square of liberal democracy," and "We strongly condemn Moon Jae-in, the fake president."

On the 26th, a banner reading "President Park Chung-hee, we really miss you!" was installed at Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul. Photo by Kim Young-eun youngeun928@asiae.co.kr

On the other hand, there were those who expressed negative opinions about the memorial altar, describing former President Park as a "dictator." Park (27), a citizen passing through Gwanghwamun Square, criticized, "President Park may have had merits such as developing the economy at that time, but ultimately, he was a dictator. I wonder if he is someone who should be mourned like this."

Another citizen, Yoo (24), also said, "I don't understand why a dictator is being mourned right in the middle of Gwanghwamun," adding, "Given the social confusion caused by COVID-19, I hope the mourning can be toned down."

Meanwhile, the Seoul Metropolitan Government requested the voluntary removal of the memorial altar for former President Park Jeong-hee installed at Gwanghwamun Square. A Seoul city official said, "We have sent a warning letter to the Our Republican Party asking for voluntary removal by midnight today," and "If they do not voluntarily remove it, we will prepare for forced removal according to subsequent procedures and situations."