Park Chung-hee statue deepens conflict

By Lee Kyung-min

Conservative and liberal civic groups clashed Monday over the former’s move to install a statue of former President Park Chung-hee at a museum in Mapo, Seoul.

A group of conservatives gave the custom-made 4.2-meter monument to the President Park Chung Hee Memorial Foundation, asking them to promptly erect it in the museum. The present was to commemorate the 100th anniversary of his birth, which is today.

The group, which also aims to build statues of the first president of the country Syngman Rhee and the 33rd U.S. President Harry S. Truman alongside Park, said they could not find a better location than the museum.

An official from the group said the three deserve to be honored _ Rhee as the nation’s first President, Truman for helping the country during the Korean War (1950-53), and Park for achieving economic prosperity.

The foundation chairman Jwa Sung-hee said his plan to complete setting up the statue was delayed as it failed to obtain approval from the Seoul Metropolitan Government, which owns the land where the museum is.

More than 20 billion won ($17.8 million) in government subsidies were spent in the process.

Liberal civic groups fiercely oppose the foundation’s plan, saying Park does not deserve respect but approbation.

“Park Chung-hee was a pro-Japanese military officer who betrayed the country and sought to undermine the legitimacy and significance of the government-in-exile set up in Shanghai. He represents social ill that should be thoroughly eradicated, not a value to honor the memory of,” a liberal group said in a statement.

Pushing ahead with the installation will, the group said, inevitably trigger violent clashes, urging City Hall to disapprove of the foundation’s move.

“We will not tolerate their move to install Park’s monument on property publicly owned by all residents in Seoul. Any further attempt will be met with a severe backlash.”

The Seoul government said a committee, which reviews issues involving public artwork, will be set up to determine whether to grant the conservative group’s request. The committee will meet within the next two months and the decision they reach can be appealed once.

The city government said it was inappropriate for the conservative group to skip consultation prior to commissioning the monument.

It has been customary for those who seek the installation of art on city-owned property to seek and follow its rulings.

The city government said it will seek advice from historians who could assess the meaning of installing the commemorative art piece of the controversial figure.