Statue of Park Chung-hee costing over 1.4 billion... Hong Joon-pyo says "Daegu, symbol of industrialization, must proudly proceed"

Statue Construction Cost Reaches 1.45 Billion KRW
Ordinance Review Scheduled at Daegu City Council on the 26th
Daegu Citizens and Social Groups "Oppose Park Chung-hee Idolization"

Hong Jun-pyo, Mayor of Daegu, stated on the 22nd regarding Daegu City's 'Park Chung-hee Memorial Project' that "It is necessary for Daegu, a symbol of industrialization, to promote this project with pride." At the proposal explanation during the opening ceremony of the Daegu City Council's extraordinary session, Mayor Hong said, "Daegu must open a second era of industrialization, and the re-examination of its proud history must also be achieved together."

On the 22nd, Hong Jun-pyo, Mayor of Daegu, stated regarding Daegu City's 'Park Chung-hee Memorial Project' that "It is necessary for Daegu, a symbol of industrialization, to confidently promote this."
[Photo by Yonhap News]

He explained, "The spirit of Park Chung-hee's industrialization started in Daegu," adding, "Light industry-centered textile manufacturing began in Daegu and was completed there. That light industry evolved into heavy industry, eventually leading to the semiconductor industry." Regarding some opposition within the region, Mayor Hong said, "The claim by some left-wing groups that the ordinance was not enacted before budgeting is foolish and ignorant," and added, "Every year, the National Assembly submits budget-related bills and the budget proposal simultaneously."

He continued, "Personally, I was once taken by the Central Intelligence Agency for opposing the Yushin regime and endured hardship," but said, "Former President Park paved the way to shake off 5,000 years of poverty and move toward becoming an advanced country. I truly respect that spirit." Mayor Hong also added, "If you go to Gwangju, there are many memorial projects for former President Kim Dae-jung, a symbol of Gwangju's resistance spirit."

After Mayor Hong instructed at the executive meeting on the 11th of last month to "erect statues of Park Chung-hee at Dongdaegu Station and Daegu Library," the related ordinance was submitted to the city council within a month. However, after the ordinance was announced for legislative notice and opinions were collected until the 1st, over 880 opposing opinions were received, deepening the standing committee's concerns. Before reviewing the ordinance, the Planning and Administration Committee of the City Council plans to hold a council members' meeting on the 22nd, during the 308th extraordinary session, to gather opinions regarding the erection of the former president's statue. The Daegu City Council will review the supplementary budget including 1.45 billion KRW for the statue construction and related ordinances during this extraordinary session on the 26th.

Opposition from Civic Groups Including Tent Sit-in Ahead of City Council Ordinance Review

Meanwhile, around January last year, Gumi City in Gyeongbuk also began actively promoting the construction of the Sungmogwan Hall to provide a dignified memorial space for visitors paying tribute to the late former President Park Chung-hee's birthplace.
[Photo by Kim Da-hee, Asia Economy]

As Mayor Hong Jun-pyo pushes forward with the Park Chung-hee memorial project, local civic groups are raising their voices in opposition. The 'Anti-Park Chung-hee Idolization Pan-Civic Movement Headquarters,' composed of civic groups in Daegu, held a press conference in front of the Daegu City Council that morning, stating, "Park Chung-hee is a criminal of history and not a figure to be commemorated," and urged, "The Daegu City Council should reject the Park Chung-hee memorial ordinance."

The Pan-Civic Movement Headquarters criticized, "Park Chung-hee served as a Japanese military officer and collaborated with Imperial Japan, granting impunity for colonial rule through the 1965 Korea-Japan Agreement," and added, "He abolished the direct presidential election system and local autonomy, suppressing citizens' basic rights such as freedom of conscience and freedom of the press." They continued, "Whenever the regime faced a crisis, it fabricated pro-communist incidents to arrest, torture, and kill democratic figures," and said, "The April 9, 1975, Inhyeokdang Reconstruction Committee incident, where democratic figures in Daegu disappeared into the executioner's mist, symbolizes this." Daegu civic groups began full-scale opposition activities, including a tent sit-in along with the press conference that day.

Meanwhile, around January last year, Gumi City in North Gyeongsang Province began actively promoting the construction of the Sungmo Hall to provide a dignified memorial space for visitors paying tribute to the late former President Park Chung-hee’s birthplace. Gumi City plans to invest 100 billion KRW in building the Sungmo Hall, citing that the existing memorial hall is small and located on a slope posing safety risks, aiming to establish a memorial fitting the respect and status of the former president.