Hong Jun-pyo Opposes Park Chung-hee Statue Construction, Saying "It Means Honoring Industrialization... Not Idolization"

"Opposing for political reasons is not right"
"To respect the spirit of industrialization and honor that spirit"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Hong Joon-pyo, the mayor of Daegu, stated on the 25th that "it is not right to oppose for political reasons" regarding the controversy over the construction of a statue of Park Chung-hee.

On the same day, Mayor Hong posted on his social media (SNS), starting with, "Statues of former President Park Chung-hee have already been erected in places like Gumi and Gyeongju, and Daegu is not the first to build one, yet it is regrettable that some groups are opposing it."

Mayor Hong said, "We respect the industrialization spirit of former President Park Chung-hee, who lifted our nation out of 5,000 years of poverty. We are promoting the statue to honor that spirit," adding, "When evaluating historical figures, there are always pros and cons, but it is regrettable to oppose by only highlighting the cons."

He also emphasized the significance of erecting the statue of former President Park. Mayor Hong said, "This is not idolization. It is to honor his industrialization spirit in Daegu, the starting point of South Korea's industrialization," and added, "If we accept their unreasonable opposition that always just opposes, this would truly go against the will of Daegu citizens."

Furthermore, Mayor Hong explained, "Personally, I was once dragged to the Central Intelligence Agency in October 1974 and suffered hardships for opposing the Yushin regime, but I respect the industrialization spirit of former President Park, who lifted our nation out of 5,000 years of poverty, and we are promoting the statue to honor that spirit."