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| Bronze statues of King Sejong (left) and Admiral Yi Sun-sin at Gwanghwamun Square in central Seoul / Korea Times file |
By Ko Dong-hwan
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| A copper statue of the late Park Chung-hee erected by the city of Gumi in North Chungcheong Province |
The Seoul Metropolitan Government dismissed the request to have a copper statue of former President Park Chung-hee (1917-1979) at Gwanghwamun Square in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of his birth.
The late Park served five terms as a Korean president from 1963 until 1979 when he was assassinated by Kim Jae-gyu, head of the then Korean Central Intelligence Agency.
The SMG's sustainable city department said, according to JoongAng Ilbo, that erecting the late Park's statue at the square would violate a regulation that passers-by should not be obstructed by too many objects.
There are already bronze statues of King Sejong (1397-1450) and Admiral Yi Sun-sin (1545-1598) at the square.
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| Participants in an inauguration event for a committee celebrating the 100th year of late former Korean president Park Chung-hee pass by life-size banners of Park and his late wife Yuk Young-soo at Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in central Seoul. / Yonhap |
The SMG said it also was taking into account whether people might agree or not.
A statue also would require the approval by a civic committee administrating the square.
Most people are against seeing the late Park's statue at the square because of the influence-peddling scandal involving President Park and her longtime confidant Choi Soon-sil.
Park has the lowest approval rating (5 percent) among Korean presidents in modern history, according to a Gallup Korea survey released Friday.
In 2015, the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs tried to hoist a large-size Korean flag at the square, but the civic committee vetoed the idea.
