By Lee Kyung-min
Korea Post has canceled plans to issue a stamp in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the birth of former President Park Chung-hee, triggering an ideological conflict between liberals and conservatives.
The post office said an internal committee voted Wednesday against issuing the stamp in September, two months before his Nov. 14 birthday.
The committee had reached a unanimous decision in May last year to issue it when his daughter, the ousted former President Park Geun-hye, was still in office.
Korea Post’s first ever cancellation of a stamp has set a possible precedent of a government body changing a decision based on the political inclination of the current administration.
The plan, considered a move by Park to honor her father, drew a fierce backlash from liberal politicians and civic groups. They allege the stamp was to glorify the dictatorial strongman who abused the human rights of democratic activists.
Korea Post issues stamps featuring presidents only to commemorate their inauguration. No stamps have been issued to honor presidents after they leave office. Requests to issue stamps commemorating economic or cultural figures are mostly granted.
The local government of Gumi, North Gyeongsang, requested the commemorative stamp at the suggestion of a group set up to preserve the house there in which Park Chung-hee was born.
Korea Post agreed to the request only a month after it was made, after nine out of 17 committee members voted for it. The other eight were absent.
Civic groups and leftist politicians blasted what they deemed a “highly political” 9-0 unanimous decision, as a similar request by a liberal group was denied.
Earlier, Korea Post had refused to grant a request by the Kim Koo Museum & Library which asked it to issue a stamp commemorating the 70th anniversary of an autobiography of Kim Koo, a leader of the Korea independence movement under the 1910-45 Japanese occupation.
Korea Post’s abrupt flip-flopping also drew harsh criticism as it argued for issuing the stamp when the then-main opposition Democratic Party of Korea complained during a National Assembly inspection last September.
Postal officials at the time refused to withdraw the plan, adding once a decision was made, no reversal was allowed unless critical procedural flaws were found.
Meanwhile, conservative groups say such an abrupt “ideologically charged” cancellation further divides the public, exacerbating the ongoing conflict in the already polarized country.
Gumi Mayor Nam Yoo-chin held a one-man protest in front of Korea Post at the Sejong Government Complex, Wednesday. “The evaluation and legacy of former President Park Chung-hee may vary, but it is undeniable he contributed to the economic development of the country,” he said.