The 42-year-old statue of Admiral Yi Sun-sin, which was moved from Gwanghwamun Plaza on Monday to undergo “major surgery,” may return to its original location far later than originally expected as some civic activists insist the regal statue and landmark should be reconstructed rather than restored.
A group of historians and civic activists have pointed out that there are “inaccurate details” in the sculpture, which they argue could give the wrong impression about one of the most well-known historical figures from the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910).
They filed a petition with the Seoul Metropolitan Council to request an authoritative interpretation on the matter.
Ven. Hyemun, the leader of the campaign, said, “In the past, there might have been less information or some misinterpretation of history and its assets. But now we have more accurate details. We need to change it to set the record straight.”
The Buddhist monk of the Jogye Order and several others also asked the government to hold public hearings on the issue.
They are urging the government to order another statue to be built based on recent uncovered historic evidence.
According to the civic groups seeking to portray an accurate picture about the cultural assets in the country, the current statue erected 42 years ago contains incorrect assumptions about the Imjin War (1592-1598) hero.
Among the mistakes they claim should be corrected is Yi holding his sword sheath in his right hand. Conventionally in those days, an admiral holding his sheath with his right hand could be considered a defeated one. They also argue that the sword is more of a Japanese model than a traditional Korean one.
Second, they claim the face of Admiral Yi is different from that exhibited in Hyeonchungsa, his official memorial hall.
Thirdly, the armor he wears covers his feet, which is more of a Chinese style.
The controversy over the statue is not new. Past administrations including the Park Chung-hee government (1963-1979) acknowledged the problems with the statue and attempted to fix them. In 1977, the central government was asked to make an authoritative interpretation about the issue and in 1980, the then Ministry of Culture allotted a 230 million won-special budget for reconstruction.
However, the plan was not carried out due to the chaotic political atmosphere of the early 1980s and severe opposition from artists.
The original director of the construction was the late Prof. Kim Se-jung of Seoul National University and many artists considered the reconstruction a challenge to his authority.
The sculpture placed in the middle of the 16-lane boulevard was taken down from its stone base Monday for restoration. Seoul city plans to put reinforcement struts inside the cast statue as a backbone and install horizontal supports in a zigzag shape. It will also repair the foundation, the two drums and the turtle ship in front of the statue.
이순신장군 동상 복귀냐 재제작이냐?
시민운동가들이 광화문 광장에 있던 이순신 장군 동상의 복귀보다 재제작을 주장해 받침석의 비어 있는 기간이 예상보다 더 길어질 것 같다.
시민 운동가들은 청동상이 세부적으로 부정확한 게 있고 이로 인해 조선시대 가장 유명한 역사적 인물에 대한 잘못된 인상을 심어주고 있다는 것이다. 그래서 이들은 정부에게 역사적 증거를 바탕으로 한 새로운 상을 만들어 세우라고 촉구했다.
올바른 정보를 제공하려 하고 있다는 이 시민단체에 따르면 42년 전 제작된 현재의 동상은 임진왜란의 영웅에 관한 잘못된 정보가 들어 있다는 것이다.
1. 이순신 장군은 칼집을 오른손에 들고 있다는 것이다. 전통적으로 당시에는 칼집을 오른손에 들고 있으면 패장으로 여겼다. 실제 조선은 일본을 물리쳤다. 칼 역시 전통 한국 형이라기보다 일본형이다.
2. 이장군의 얼굴형은 공식 기념관인 현충사에 안치된 초상화와 다르다.
3. 갑옷이 발을 덮고 있다. 이는 사람들에게 장군이 전혀 활동적이지 못하다는 잘못된 인상을 줄 수 있다. 또한 갑옷은 중국식을 더 많이 따랐다.
![[INTERVIEW] Disney+ 'Big Bet' director on portraying greed and desire](https://img.koreatimes.co.kr/upload/thumbnailV2/99fc01c9a888412cbd3a14685e9ac23e.jpg/dims/resize/178/optimize)
