Hong Jun-pyo: "It's Time to Honor Achievements... Considering Park Chung-hee Square and Statue"… Civic Groups Oppose

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Civic Group Calls It an "Absurd Claim"

Hong Jun-pyo, the mayor of Daegu, announced that he is considering naming the plaza at Dongdaegu Station the "Park Chung-hee Plaza" and erecting a statue of former President Park in front of it. Civic groups and others opposed the plan, saying it would become a subject of ridicule.

According to statements from Daegu city and others on the 5th, Mayor Hong recently posted on his Facebook, saying, "It is time to carry out a project honoring the achievements of former President Park, who represents Daegu."

Hong Joon-pyo, Mayor of Daegu Photo by Daegu City

In his post, Mayor Hong wrote, "When I went to Gwangju for the Moonlight Railroad celebration, traces of former President Kim Dae-jung’s achievements were evident everywhere, but upon returning to Daegu, I was disappointed not to see any traces of former President Park’s achievements."

He continued, "I thought about naming the currently unnamed Dongdaegu Station plaza as Park Chung-hee Plaza and erecting a statue there. Since Daegu and Gwangju are joining forces through the Moonlight Alliance, many believe there should also be a historic reconciliation between the two political giants representing Daegu and Gwangju."

He said, "The project to erect a statue of former President Park has been on my mind since I was elected mayor," adding, "It is completely unrelated to some civic groups raising funds from citizens to build a statue, and I have no intention of collaborating with them."

He further stated, "The idea of making it with citizens’ donations is nonsense," explaining, "It is right to fund it with citizens’ taxes. If the project is promoted with Daegu city’s budget, it is essentially the same as citizens’ donations."

Mayor Hong said, "We will proceed after discussing with the Daegu City Council, which represents the citizens, about the plaza’s name and the scale of the statue."

Civic Groups: "An Absurd Controversy, Curious About Mayor Hong’s Intentions"

Civic groups strongly opposed the plan. The Daegu Citizens’ Solidarity Conference issued a statement on the 5th, clearly opposing Mayor Hong’s plan to erect a Park Chung-hee statue and promote the Park Chung-hee Plaza.

The group questioned, "Is Daegu a city of Park Chung-hee? The oppression of democracy and human rights during Park Chung-hee’s dictatorship still continues in the bodies and minds of victims and in the lives of their families," pointing out, "Many victims of numerous torture and fabricated cases have yet to receive proper apologies and compensation from the state."

They added, "Moreover, Mayor Hong himself has acknowledged several times the historical faults of the Park Chung-hee regime," and countered, "The credit for economic development does not belong to former President Park but to the workers who labored for their families and the country."

The Daegu Citizens’ Solidarity Conference said, "We are curious about Mayor Hong’s intentions in creating such an absurd controversy," and demanded, "If he wants to intervene in the general election, he should resign as Daegu mayor immediately."

Additionally, the Democratic Party of Korea’s Daegu branch criticized on the 4th, saying, "Why must the Dongdaegu Station plaza be named Park Chung-hee Plaza at this particular time?" and warned, "If the name is changed and a statue erected, it will only become a permanent eyesore and a subject of ridicule."