Hundreds of Millions Spent... "Doesn't Resemble" "Why Was It Erected?" What to Do with Conflicting Views on the Statue [Dongsang Report]

Statues at the Center of Wasteful Spending Controversies
Ongoing Debates Over Low Recognition and Historical Inaccuracies
Multi-Million Won Budgets... Some Statues Ultimately Removed

Editor's NoteA statue erected to honor a person's achievements and pass on their legacy to future generations. Preserving someone's likeness forever in a statue holds a meaning beyond mere sculpture creation. How many statues has modern South Korea erected, and of whom? Asia Economy analyzed records of unveiling ceremonies for statues of real historical figures from 1990 to this month, sourced from portal sites and local government websites.

Although erecting a single statue costs hundreds of millions of won, many projects proceed without proper social consensus, leading to conflicts or demands for reconstruction or removal due to inaccurate historical verification. Analyzing the records of statue unveiling ceremonies listed on online portal sites and local government websites from 1990 to this year revealed cases of conflicting interests that could not avoid controversies over 'wasteful spending.'

Statue of Eoyeong Daejang Shin Jeong-hee built in Dong-gu, Incheon. Dong-gu Office Photo Gallery.

The statues of former President Park Chung-hee and General Baek Seon-yeop are representative cases where controversies have persisted from the planning stages due to differing views on their legacies. Former President Park is simultaneously praised as the figure who led South Korea's industrialization and criticized as a dictator who suppressed democracy. The fact that multiple statues of him have been erected only in Daegu and Gyeongsangbuk-do, his hometown and regions that benefited during the development process, clearly reflects the divided public opinion. In December last year, Gyeongsangbuk-do faced controversy over a private organization fundraising to erect an 8.2-meter-high statue of former President Park.

The statue of General Baek at the Dabudong Battle Memorial Hall in Chilgok County, Gyeongsangbuk-do, which cost 500 million won, also became a focal point of controversy. He is both regarded as a hero of the Korean War and criticized as a pro-Japanese traitor who helped suppress independence activists. General Baek was officially designated as a pro-Japanese anti-national collaborator in 2009, and this was recorded on the government website's burial records. However, the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs under the Yoon Suk-yeol administration removed this description following the statue's erection, sparking further controversy.

There were also cases where the subject's low recognition failed to garner social consensus for the statue's erection. The statue of Admiral Shin Jeong-hee, erected in 2016 in Dong-gu, Incheon Metropolitan City, falls into this category. Despite costing 170 million won, local residents were largely unaware of the figure. Admiral Shin Jeong-hee was a Joseon Dynasty general who, under King Gojong's orders, established Hwadojin in Incheon to prepare against foreign invasions, but almost no historical evidence remains to verify this. Since Dong-gu holds the Hwadojin Festival every May, there was controversy that the statue was "essentially a marketing tool."

Even well-known figures' statues can be removed if social consensus is not reached. The statue of Emperor Sunjong, erected in 2017 in Dalseong Park, Jung-gu, Daegu Metropolitan City, was completely dismantled last year amid historical distortion controversies. Jung-gu created the 'Emperor's Road' based on Emperor Sunjong's 1909 southern tour, which included a visit to Daegu, and erected a 5.5-meter-high statue costing 250 million won at the road's end.

The local government intended to restore a historical space called the 'Emperor's Road,' but some civic groups and academics argued that "Sunjong's southern tour was a humiliating history where the Japanese used the emperor to suppress anti-Japanese sentiment among Koreans," and that creating a road and statue commemorating this was effectively glorifying pro-Japanese collaboration. The road failed to attract tourists and instead caused traffic complaints. Ultimately, the problematic statue was removed.

Even for widely recognized figures, controversies arise when historical verification is flawed. The statue of independence activist Ahn Jung-geun, erected in 2018 at Yeokjeon Neighborhood Park in Uijeongbu, Gyeonggi Province, is such a case. According to Asia Economy's tally, Ahn Jung-geun statues constitute the largest number of statues erected in South Korea since the 1990s. However, Uijeongbu faced backlash from civic groups due to inaccuracies in the statue's historical details. The statue was donated by a Chinese private organization, Chahaer, and installed by Uijeongbu at a cost of 200 million won. Controversy arose because Ahn's clenched finger was depicted intact, and the meaning of his calligraphy was misinterpreted and engraved on a stone plaque. Continuous corrections cost an additional 55 million won, drawing criticism for budget waste.

Statue of Independence Activist Ahn Jung-geun in Uijeongbu-si, Gyeonggi-do. Uijeongbu-si Blog.

The statue of independence activist Yun Bong-gil also faced similar controversies. Created in 1992 to commemorate the 60th anniversary of Yun's heroic act, the statue was criticized by his family for being hastily made. Yun's nephew, Yoon Yong, director of the Yun Bong-gil Memorial Research Institute, stated, "The statue is so different from the real person that it is shocking," and issued a statement demanding its remaking, calling the unveiling of a statue so unlike the real figure an insult to the patriot.

Statues erected during a person's lifetime also did not escape controversy. Gunpo City in Gyeonggi Province erected a statue symbolizing figure skater Kim Yuna, a native of Gunpo, in 2010 at a cost of 500 million won. However, the statue did not resemble Kim, and her side was unaware of the statue's erection. Civic groups requested an audit, doubting that such a crude statue could have cost 500 million won. Amid the controversy, Gunpo City eventually removed Kim's name from the sculpture.

A poster for the 'Couple Festival' held by Taebaek City in 2018. The design includes statues of the couple Song Joong-ki and Song Hye-kyo, who starred in the drama 'Descendants of the Sun.' Taebaek City.

The statues of celebrities Song Hye-kyo and Song Joong-ki, erected in 2019 in Taebaek, Gangwon Province, were also subjects of controversy. Taebaek transformed the set of the drama "Descendants of the Sun," in which the two starred, into a tourist attraction by erecting a statue of the couple kissing and held an annual couple festival. After the couple announced their divorce, attention turned to Taebaek City's response, but the city stated it had no plans to remove the statues. The third couple festival was canceled following the divorce announcement.

How We Analyzed This

From 1990, we conducted a comprehensive survey of press releases and municipal news containing the keywords 'statue' and 'unveiling' on portal sites and local government websites. Through this, we compiled records of statue unveiling ceremonies held from 1990 to April of this year.

Busts and reliefs were excluded, and only statues modeled after real historical figures were analyzed. Therefore, statues such as the late Kim Bok-dong's and the Statue of Peace or laborer statues were excluded. Statues erected at educational institutions like universities were also excluded; only those installed in public places such as parks and memorial halls were included.