100 Billion Won Spent on 'Park Jeonghee Memorial Hall'... Gumi City in Turmoil

"Common People Struggling but Obsessed Only with Memorial Projects" Criticism
Gumi City "Determined to Establish a Proper Memorial Space"

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyun-joo] When Gumi City in Gyeongbuk announced plans to build a Park Chung-hee Memorial Hall with a budget of 100 billion won, civic groups criticized it as a "waste of taxpayers' money."

On the 1st, Gumi City recently announced plans to create a new memorial space befitting the stature of former President Park. The existing memorial hall, approximately 60㎡ in size, has been criticized for being old, cramped, and located on a slope, posing safety risks. The estimated cost for building the new memorial hall is expected to reach 100 billion won.

Gumi City plans to form the "Park Chung-hee President Memorial Hall Construction Advisory Committee" this month, composed mainly of experts from various fields. With a secured budget of 50 million won, they aim to complete a feasibility study, discussions on the scale and format of the memorial hall, and the establishment of a basic plan by July, followed immediately by detailed design work for construction.

However, opposition from civic groups is strong. In Sangmo-dong, Gumi City, Gyeongbuk, where former President Park's birthplace is located, several facilities such as a statue of Park and a historical archive already exist. Critics argue that spending a huge amount of money to build a new facility on top of these is a waste of tax money.

The Gumi Citizens' Coalition for Economic Justice issued a statement opposing the plan, saying, "It is absurd to build a 100 billion won memorial hall without properly apologizing for the recent controversy over government officials' overseas training expenses," and added, "In an era of soaring heating costs, high inflation, and high interest rates, the construction of the Park Chung-hee Memorial Hall costing 100 billion won should be decided by a residents' referendum."

The Gumi YMCA also released a statement, saying, "After the COVID-19 period, recent increases in gas, oil, and electricity prices have made life difficult for ordinary people," and criticized, "Companies are relocating to the metropolitan area or overseas, reducing jobs, yet the mayor of Gumi is obsessed only with memorial projects for former President Park, leaving citizens' impoverished lives with no clear improvement."

They continued, "If you truly want to honor former President Park, you should emulate his spirit; erecting statues, displaying artifacts, and building a massive memorial hall will not improve citizens' lives," and demanded, "Mayor Kim Jang-ho of Gumi should withdraw the memorial hall construction plan and focus on the livelihoods of Gumi citizens and the recovery of the local economy."

As controversy over the memorial hall construction grew, Gumi City issued a statement to quell the dispute. They explained that the 100 billion won budget for the memorial hall expresses the intention to properly commemorate former President Park's legacy by creating a fitting memorial space.

Gumi City clarified, "Of the total cost, 90.7 billion won will be used to develop the Saemaul Undong Theme Park. This project is not a memorial for former President Park but should be seen as a complex cultural space that inherits the values of the Saemaul Undong movement and supplements the lack of recreational and cultural facilities."