There is a controversy brewing over allegations that the statue of former President Park Chung-hee recently erected in front of Dongdaegu Station resembles Daegu Mayor Hong Jun-pyo. The artist who created the statue called it "negative publicity." Daegu city explained that the statue was designed with reference to a photo of former President Park harvesting on Sept. 30, 1965.
◇ The statue of former President Park Chung-hee was created based on a photo of him smiling while harvesting
On the 3rd, according to Daegu city officials, Byun Hee-jae announced on his YouTube channel on Oct. 31 that he filed a civil complaint with the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs, asking them to determine the statue is not of Park Chung-hee. Byun claimed, "When you put glasses on the statue, it looks just like Mayor Hong. Isn't it a statue of Hong Jun-pyo?" Similar posts alleging the resemblance appeared on online communities.
As the controversy grew, the artist Lee Sang-tae, who created the statue, stated that Daegu city requested a statue in the same form as a photo of former President Park smiling while harvesting on Sept. 30, 1965. Lee, in a statement conveyed through CHOSUNBIZ, mentioned, "Unlike the usual authoritative depiction of Park Chung-hee statues, this statue aimed to capture a more relatable and simple image." Regarding the claim that it resembled Mayor Hong, Lee noted it appeared to be an "interpretation intended for negativity".
Artist Lee Sang-tae has created prominent works including the Pohang Memorial Tower, Gyeongju Silla Hwarang Horse, Daegu 3.1 Independence Movement Street symbolic sculpture, Gwangju Anti-Japanese Movement Memorial Tower, and Jeju 4.3 Memorial Sculpture. Lee currently serves as the Chairperson of the Sculpture Department at the Daegu Artists Association.
◇ Daegu city changed the square's name and erected the statue without consulting the government or the railroad corporation
The statue of Park Chung-hee at Dongdaegu Station is causing additional controversy. Critics have pointed out that it is problematic for Daegu city to have installed the statue on state-owned land of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport without consultation.
Previously, in August, Daegu city renamed the square in front of Dongdaegu Station to 'Park Chung-hee Square' and erected a 5-meter tall sign without consulting the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport or the Korea Railroad Corporation (KR). At the time, Minister Park Sang-woo remarked at a full meeting of the National Assembly's Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee that they would investigate the legality of Daegu city's actions.
The same situation occurred when installing the Park Chung-hee statue in the square. The railroad corporation sent multiple official documents to Daegu city stating consultation was necessary for the installation, but Daegu city proceeded unilaterally. Minister Park said at the National Assembly on Oct. 23 that the establishment of the Park Chung-hee statue at Dongdaegu Station was "inappropriate and unacceptable," and that they would take all possible legal measures in cooperation with the Korea Railroad Corporation, the relevant subsidiary.
However, Daegu city claims that according to the 'Daegu City Dongdaegu Station Square Management Ordinance' enacted in 2018, it holds management rights, including permission for use, usage restrictions, and fee imposition for the square. Additionally, Daegu city argues that the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport has never expressed any objections to this ordinance.
◇ As "dictator" was written in chalk, civil servants were put on 'guard duty' during the year-end and New Year holidays
Daegu city faced criticism for instructing administrative public servants to perform night guard duties to prevent the Park Chung-hee statue at Dongdaegu Station from being damaged overnight. This measure was taken after phrases like "dictator" and "coup originator" appeared in chalk next to the introduction text reading "Park Chung-hee, the Republic of Korea’s 5th to 9th president" behind the statue.
On Oct. 25, the new Daegu City Civil Servants Labor Union stated, "Daegu city should come to its senses and immediately withdraw its plan that forces employees to protect the statue instead of spending happy time with family during the year-end and New Year holidays." However, a city official noted that "since the statue is a public facility funded by Daegu city, it is naturally our duty to protect it."
◇ The Dongdaegu Station statue cost 480 million won, and another statue is being pushed forward with 665 million won
The installation of the Park Chung-hee statue at Dongdaegu Station cost 480 million won. Additionally, 27.84 million won was spent on creating the 'Park Chung-hee Square sign,' and 18.99 million won each on the 'Park Chung-hee Square Chrysanthemum Exhibition Hall creation and management.' In total, approximately 520 million won was spent on constructing facilities related to the former president Park in the Dongdaegu Station area.
Furthermore, Daegu city is pursuing the construction of a new Park Chung-hee statue at the Daegu Metropolitan Library in Nam-gu's Daemyeong-dong by the end of this year. On Nov. 27 last year, a contract was signed with 'Beesle Artpia' for the 'Park Chung-hee President Statue Production and Installation Service,' with a contract amount of 665 million won. However, a city official mentioned, "As the statue's scheduled production date is nearly a year away, there will be additional reviews in relation to the recent incidents."
◇ The Ronaldo statue looks nothing like him and is ridiculous
Even though the statue was created based on photos of former President Park, people might feel it resembles Mayor Hong due to significant differences from how Park truly looked.
A similar controversy occurred with the statue of soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo. In March 2017, Madeira, an island in Portugal, renamed its airport to 'Cristiano Ronaldo International Airport.' Madeira, located in the Atlantic Ocean, is known as Ronaldo's hometown. The airport was renamed as a gesture to honor Ronaldo for bringing Portugal its first-ever Euro victory. While creating a commemorative Ronaldo statue, it drew criticism for having no resemblance and looking comical, given its cross-eyed and smiling appearances.
Additionally, when the statue of the late Queen Elizabeth II unveiled in Northern Ireland last September, social media (SNS) erupted with criticism, stating it "doesn’t resemble the queen at all." One user commented, "Did you buy the queen from (the Chinese online shopping mall) Temu?"
In response, a relation from the art industry noted, "Since statues are works of art, they don't need to look exactly like the real person," adding, "The artist's aesthetic intent and the installation's purpose can broaden the scope of creativity."