The 90s Were the 'Heroes,' the 00s Were the 'Stars'... Statues Reflect the Era [Statue Report]

②Statues in South Korea: A Chronological Look
Many Statues of War Heroes and Independence Activists in the 1990s
More Civilian Statues Erected After the 2000s

Editor's NoteA statue erected to honor the achievements of an individual and to pass on their legacy to future generations. Preserving someone's likeness in perpetuity goes 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.

There is a generational trend in deciding "who to erect a statue of." It reflects the values and zeitgeist of the society. After wars, statues of war heroes and leaders are erected; when the economy grows, statues of civic activists devoted to human rights and labor movements are installed. The 215 statues erected from 1990 to the present fully embody Korea's history. For convenience, the periods were divided according to presidential terms to examine the era-specific trends in statues.

Many Statues of Independence Activists and War Heroes... Reverence in the 1990s

After the Korean War, South Korea erected statues of independence activists and war heroes across the country. Scholars view this as an act to strengthen internal unity and legitimize governance amid the division of the Korean Peninsula. This atmosphere continued into the 1990s, a decade of economic growth but political instability.

Looking at statues erected up to 1993 during the Roh Tae-woo administration, 9 out of 10 statues with unveiling records were of independence activists such as Yun Bong-gil and Seo Jae-pil. The remaining one was a statue of Colonel Park Jin-gyeong in Namhae County, Gyeongsangnam-do. The statue was erected to honor his death while leading anti-communist guerrilla operations, but he later became controversial as a perpetrator in the Jeju 4.3 Incident, leading to calls for the statue's removal.

In the late 1990s under the Kim Young-sam administration, a similar trend continued. From 1995, statues of Lee Bong-chang, General Gang Gam-chan, and Baekbeom Kim Gu were erected, along with a statue of the late Sergeant Lee Byung-hee, who died in the armed communist guerrilla infiltration incident in Gangneung.

During the same period, North Korea also focused on idolizing its leaders and internal cohesion through statue production. In the 1990s, South Korean media reported that new statues were erected in 1995 to idolize Kim Jong-il’s regime, and that there were about 60 statues of President Kim Il-sung across North Korea, with tens of thousands including busts.

Civilians Also Erected as Statues... Stronger Commemorative and Memorial Character in the 2000s

From the 2000s, there was a growing movement to erect statues of civilians rather than just great figures like independence activists. In the early 2000s, many statues of local celebrities and sports stars were erected to promote their regions. The statues of Bae Yong-joon and Choi Ji-woo erected in Chuncheon, Gangwon-do in 2004 were inspired by the popularity of the drama "Winter Sonata." Japanese fans even visited Chuncheon to see these statues. In 2005, Jung-gu, Incheon Metropolitan City erected a statue of soccer player Kim Nam-il, a key figure in the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup, who was from the area.

Kim Moon-soo, former Minister of Employment and Labor, is touching the statue of Jeon Tae-il installed at the Jeon Tae-il Memorial Hall in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News.

It was also a period when many statues were erected for people devoted to democratization and labor movements. On the day of the Cheonggyecheon restoration in 2005, Seoul erected a statue of Jeon Tae-il, a labor activist who worked in a Cheonggyecheon garment factory. In 2018, a statue unveiling ceremony was held in Namwon, Jeollabuk-do for Kim Ju-yeol, a martyr who died after being hit by tear gas while protesting election fraud.

While statues in the past were used to prove the authority of rulers or focus on the achievements of the individuals, from the early 2000s, the purpose gradually shifted to commemorating or memorializing the subjects. In 2008, the Gyeonggi Fire and Disaster Headquarters held an unveiling ceremony for a memorial statue of firefighters who died in the line of duty at Seolbong Park in Icheon. The statue was modeled after 10 firefighters, including the late Fire Officer Yoon Jae-hee, who died when a building collapsed during fire suppression.

Additionally, in 2017, a statue unveiling ceremony was held in Jindo County, Jeollanam-do for Kim Gwan-hong, a diver who actively participated in rescue operations during the Sewol ferry disaster and later died from severe trauma.

Statue of the late diver Kim Gwanhong established in Jindo-gun, Jeollanam-do. Asia Economy DB.

Transformation of Leader Statues... Consecutive Unveilings of Park Chung-hee Statues in 2024

Unveiling ceremony of the statue of former President Park Chung-hee held in Andong-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do. Yonhap News.

From 1990 to the present, statues of former presidents erected in public places include only those of Rhee Syngman, Park Chung-hee, Kim Dae-jung, and Park Geun-hye.

Park Chung-hee himself worked to erect his own statues, but some were removed after regime changes. Leader statues showed distinct regional characteristics. Most statues of former President Kim Dae-jung were erected in 2010, the first anniversary of his death, mainly in Jeollanam-do and Jeollabuk-do. In contrast, statues of former President Park Chung-hee were erected in Gyeongsangbuk-do and Daegu Metropolitan City. In December last year, at the unveiling ceremony of Park’s statue in Andong, Gyeongsangbuk-do, former President Yoon Suk-yeol sent a wreath, and another unveiling ceremony was held at Dongdaegu Station in the same month.

How We Analyzed

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 statue were excluded, as were the Statue of Peace and laborer statues. Statues erected in educational institutions like universities were also excluded; only statues in public places such as parks and memorial halls were included.