The Chinese scholar tree in front of the old Jeonnam Provincial Office in Donggu, Gwangju, has been toppled by a typhoon. Photo by Yonhap News
Im Taek, the head of Gwangju Dong-gu District Office, has publicly expressed opposition to Mayor Kang Gijung's proposal to relocate the descendant tree of the pagoda tree, which witnessed the May 18 Democratization Movement, to the Blue House.
On August 1, Im stated on his social media account, "The pagoda tree of May must remain where it is," asserting his stance.
He continued, "This pagoda tree is not just an ordinary plant. It is a living descendant of the tree that witnessed the blood and tears of democracy beside the citizens' outpost in front of the old Jeonnam Provincial Office on that day in 1980.""Its meaning shines even brighter when its roots remain in Gwangju. The pagoda tree of May must stay in Gwangju," he wrote.
The pagoda tree in front of the old Jeonnam Provincial Office, which stood witness to the Gwangju Student Independence Movement and the May 18 Democratization Movement, fell and died in 2012 due to Typhoon Bolaven.
After hearing about the death of the pagoda tree, a citizen who had been nurturing a seedling grown under the original tree donated the descendant tree (offspring tree), which was then planted in front of the old Jeonnam Provincial Office in 2014.
On July 28, Mayor Kang received a suggestion to relocate the pagoda tree to the Blue House from Lee Haejung, a teacher at Bitgoeul Elementary School, during a ceremony honoring contributors to the May 18 commemorative event.
It is known that Lee, together with fellow teachers from the Gwangju Teachers' Practical Education Association, published "The Pagoda Tree of May," a book about the story of the May 18 pagoda tree, which is used as educational material, and this led to the idea.
Listening attentively to Lee's suggestion, Mayor Kang proposed the transplantation of the descendant tree, planted in front of the old Jeonnam Provincial Office, to Heo Min, head of the National Heritage Administration, which manages the Blue House.
Following this, the Gwangju City Government recommended that the National Heritage Administration consult with Gwangju Dong-gu District Office, which owns and manages the land where the pagoda tree stands, as a follow-up measure.
With the Dong-gu District head now publicly opposing Mayor Kang's proposal, the transplantation of the descendant pagoda tree to the Blue House has become uncertain.
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