Opposition Lawmakers: "Wounded People Are Still Alive"
Lee Cheol-woo, Governor of Gyeongbuk Province: "There Are Merits and Demerits, but the Evaluation Is Stingy"
The statue of former President Park Chung-hee, planned to be erected in the Millennium Forest in front of the Gyeongbuk Provincial Government Office, came under scrutiny on the 17th during the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee's audit of Gyeongbuk Province. In response to opposition lawmakers' criticism that there are excessively many statues of former President Park Chung-hee in the province, Lee Cheol-woo, Governor of Gyeongbuk Province, rebutted that the evaluation was too harsh.
Status of Former President Park Chung-hee Statue Appearing at Gyeongbuk Provincial Government Audit Hearing [Photo by Yonhap News]
Mo Kyung-jong (Incheon Seo-gu Byeong), a member of the Democratic Party, criticized at the audit held at the Gyeongbuk Provincial Government Office in Andong, Gyeongbuk, saying, "The Millennium Forest in front of the Gyeongbuk Provincial Government Office is a symbolic space, yet a statue of former President Park Chung-hee is being installed there." He added, "Including this, there are seven statues of President Park Chung-hee in Gyeongbuk." He further pointed out, "Last year, a statue of former President Park Geun-hye was also erected in the Bomun Tourist Complex in Gyeongju. I wonder if there was nothing else to showcase there (besides the Park Chung-hee statue) in a place visited by many tourists like the Bomun Complex. I think there could be statues (figures) that better promote Gyeongbuk, so it is regrettable."
Currently, there are eight statues of former President Park Chung-hee nationwide, six of which are installed in Gyeongbuk, including in Cheongdo, Gyeongju, Pohang, and Gumi. Additionally, in March, Gyeongbuk Province agreed with the private organization, the Park Chung-hee Presidential Statue Construction Promotion Committee, to erect an 8.5-meter-tall statue of the former president in the Millennium Forest Garden right in front of the Gyeongbuk Provincial Government Office. If the statue planned inside Yeungnam University in Gyeongsan, Gyeongbuk, is also erected, the number of Park Chung-hee statues in Gyeongbuk will increase to eight. Previously, in December last year, Gyeongbuk Province installed eight statues and sculptures, including those of former Presidents Park Chung-hee and Park Geun-hye, in the Tourist History Park within the Gyeongju Bomun Complex.
Statues of President Park Chung-hee and Gyeongbuk Governor Lee Cheol-woo installed in Gyeongju Bomun Tourist Complex Photo by Yonhap News
The opposition's offensive regarding the statue of former President Park Chung-hee continued into supplementary questioning.
Lee Sang-sik (Gyeonggi Yongin Gap), a member of the Democratic Party, pointed out, "There are too many people who suffered from former President Park Chung-hee, and many of them are still alive," adding, "The historical evaluation of him cannot be considered completely finished." He continued, "I believe that erecting a statue of President Park Chung-hee should be done after enough time has passed and people's wounds have fully healed," and added, "I ask you to deeply reconsider the promotion of the Park Chung-hee statue construction to soothe and embrace the pain of those who have been hurt."
Jeong Chun-saeng, a proportional representative of the Innovation Party, also criticized, saying, "Former President Park Chung-hee is already internationally recognized as a dictator," and stated, "I hope the provincial administration acknowledges this fact and leads accordingly. Next year, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit will be held in Gyeongju, and if a dictator's statue is present where world leaders gather, wouldn't the people of the Republic of Korea feel ashamed?"
Jeong also pointed out that the public fundraising for erecting the statue of former President Park Chung-hee is not voluntary. He emphasized, "Each basic local government, despite already facing financial difficulties, is being forced to allocate (fundraising amounts). Local governments formed committees and assigned quotas by city, county, and population, resulting in non-voluntary fundraising."
In response to the lawmakers' criticisms, Lee Cheol-woo, Governor of Gyeongbuk Province, explained, "The statue of former President Park Geun-hye was not erected separately; it was installed because it depicts walking together with former President Park Chung-hee." He rebutted, "There are both merits and demerits to one figure, but in our country, the evaluation is too harsh."
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