400 Million Won Park Jeonghee Statue Attacked with Eggs and Flour... "A Statue That Must Never Be Installed"

Over 40 Members Gather to "Condemn Statue Installation"
Yeungnam University Receives 400 Million KRW in Private Donations for Statue Production

About 40 members of the Yeungnam University Democratic Alumni held a press conference on the 10th in front of the Park Chung-hee statue at Yeungnam University in Gyeongsan, Gyeongbuk, strongly condemning the installation of the statue of the pro-Japanese, anti-nationalist dictator Park Chung-hee.

They stated, "Despite opposition both inside and outside the university, the university installed the Park Chung-hee statue without informing the campus community," and raised their voices, saying, "We cannot contain our deep sorrow, and we demand that the Yeungnam University headquarters and President Choi Oechul immediately remove the statue." During the press conference, the police arrived after being notified by the university and questioned the participants about the unreported gathering. The Democratic Alumni members told the police that they were graduates who had gathered after a sports event.

On the afternoon of the 10th, members of the Yeungnam University Democratic Alumni Association sprinkled flour on the Park Chung-hee statue at Yeungnam University in Gyeongsan, Gyeongbuk.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

According to Yonhap News, they threw four eggs at the Park Chung-hee statue, sprinkled flour, covered the statue with a black tarp, and surrounded it while singing the protest song "March for the Beloved." Mr. Lee (51), who threw the eggs, said, "A statue that should never be installed in Korean society has been erected," and added, "I participated in today's rally to show that such Park Chung-hee statues should not appear elsewhere in this manner."

A police official explained, "This is an illegal gathering as it was an unreported outdoor assembly on university grounds." He added, "The university reported to the police requesting the removal of participants from private property, and whether to file charges in the future is a matter for the university to decide."

Yeungnam University held an unveiling ceremony for a 2.5-meter-tall statue of "Teacher Park Chung-hee" at the Cheonma Honors Park Plaza on campus on the 23rd of last month, marking the university's 77th anniversary. The base of the statue is inscribed with the phrase "Founder of Yeungnam University, Teacher Park Chung-hee." The cost of producing the statue was about 400 million KRW, reportedly fully donated by an individual alumnus of Yeungnam University.

Yeungnam University was established through the merger of "Daegu University," founded in 1947 by independence activist Choi Jun, known as the Choi family of Gyeongju, who donated property including land and a house in Seonsan, and "Cheonggu University," the nation's first night university, established in 1950. Daegu University, which faced financial difficulties in 1960, came under the management of Lee Byung-chul, founder and chairman of Samsung Group, after the May 16 military coup. Park Geun-hye, daughter of former President Park Chung-hee, served as a director and chairman of the Yeungnam Academy foundation from 1980 until she left the university in 1988 following an internal corruption scandal.

The statue's construction sparked strong opposition from the Yeungnam University Student Council and current students. On the 25th of last month, the Yeungnam University Student Council stated that there was no communication between the university headquarters and students during the statue's installation process, and that a vote conducted among students showed 80% opposition and 20% support for the statue. Additionally, anonymous critical posts continued on the university life platform "Everytime." Students pointed out, "It's honestly embarrassing," "If you think about it, he is not even the founder of the school but the person who took over the school, yet they are making a statue," and "It was the 77th anniversary of the university, but Park Chung-hee established Yeungnam University in 1967, so it has only been 57 years since its founding."