Decision to Remove Emperor Sunjong Statue Amid 'Historical Distortion' Controversy... Descendants Oppose

Daegu Jung-gu to Spend 400 Million Won on Demolition
Restoring to Four-Lane Road by Year-End

The sculptural installation of Emperor Sunjong's royal procession road in front of Dalseong Park in Daegu, which sparked controversy over historical distortion, will ultimately be removed.

On the 17th, Jung-gu, Daegu announced that it will dismantle the 'Emperor Sunjong Royal Procession Road Sculpture' installed on the central pedestrian island in front of Dalseong Park as part of the Dalseong Fortress entrance environmental improvement project. The district decided to dismantle the sculpture through a public sculpture dismantling review on the same day and will begin the removal work from the 22nd, investing 400 million KRW in the project.

The statue of Emperor Sunjong in front of Dalseong Park in Daegu, which became the subject of controversy and was eventually decided to be dismantled [Photo by Daegu Jung-gu Office, Yonhap News]

The Emperor Sunjong Royal Procession Road sculpture, installed in 2017, is a golden statue depicting Sunjong (1874?1926), the 2nd Emperor of the Korean Empire and the 27th and last king of Joseon, standing in ceremonial robes.

This sculpture was created as part of the 'Emperor Sunjong Royal Procession Road Development Project,' which cost 7 billion KRW. The controversy initially arose over the meaning of the Sunjong Royal Procession Road.

It is known that in January 1909, Sunjong toured the Gyeongsang Province together with Japanese Resident-General It? Hirobumi (1841?1909), which has been interpreted as an attempt to use the king to persuade the people resisting Japan to comply.

Regarding this, the Daegu branch of the Institute for Korean Historical Issues criticized, "Knowing the Japanese colonial government's intention to suppress anti-Japanese sentiment, it is inappropriate to commercialize this with tens of billions of won in taxes." Additionally, it was pointed out that while Sunjong wore a military uniform at the time, the sculpture depicts him in ceremonial robes, which is also considered historical distortion. Apart from historical issues, citizens complained that the passageway became narrower and inconvenient.

An official from Jung-gu Office stated, "We plan to complete the dismantling next week and finish expanding the entrance road by the end of this year." Once the Emperor Sunjong Royal Procession Road sculpture is removed and the road restored, the existing two-lane road will be expanded to four lanes.

In response, descendants of Emperor Sunjong appealed to relocate the statue to an appropriate place instead of dismantling it, requesting respect for the last emperor of the Joseon dynasty.

On the 19th, Lee Jun, chairman of the Prince Uichin Memorial Project Association and grandson of Emperor Sunjong’s younger brother Prince Uichin, issued a statement saying, "I cannot contain my sorrow upon hearing that Jung-gu Council in Daegu decided to dismantle and remove the statue of my great-granduncle Emperor Sunjong through a public sculpture dismantling review." He added, "I am deeply dismayed that the local government creates and destroys a sculpture of my great-granduncle, the last emperor of the Korean Empire, who was born as the last emperor and lived as a broken man under 24-hour surveillance by the Japanese colonial government after the fall of the nation, according to policy logic."

He continued, "The claim of historical distortion is utterly groundless. In 1909, when the national fate was being handed over to Japan, Emperor Sunjong visited Daegu wearing a Japanese military uniform. Is it historical distortion to depict him wearing the Joseon royal ceremonial robes? Stop making excuses for this absurd civil engineering project," he raised his voice.

Lee Jun stated, "If there had been historical awareness, the last emperor of the Joseon royal family and the Korean imperial family should not have been treated as a mere tourist attraction to be created and destroyed as a nuisance. Instead, the optimal location for relocation with minimal respect should have been selected." He insisted, "Discussions should be held at least with the Cultural Heritage Administration’s Changdeokgung Management Office, Joseon Royal Tombs Hongyureung Management Office, Namyangju City Hall, and the royal descendants regarding relocation and reinstallation." He also said, "If there is no place to relocate, our Prince Uichin Memorial Project Association and the royal descendants will take the statue."