Confirmed Replacement of Incheon Heungryunsa Signboard Amid Efforts to Erase Traces of Jeon Du-hwan Glorification

The appearance of Incheon Heungryunsa Jeongtowon after the signboard replacement. Photo by 5·18 Memorial Foundation

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Yoon Jamin] It has been confirmed that the "erasure of traces glorifying Jeon Du-hwan" scattered nationwide is gradually progressing.

According to the May 18 Memorial Foundation on the 1st, the signboard with Jeon Du-hwan's name installed at Jeongtowon of Heungryunsa Temple in Incheon has been replaced.

Until now, the May 18 Memorial Foundation, May organizations, and civic groups in Incheon have repeatedly demanded the replacement of the signboard letters.

On the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the May 18 Democratic Movement, the erasure of traces of facilities glorifying Jeon Du-hwan scattered nationwide is continuously underway across the country.

This year alone, about ten or more facilities or traces such as ▲the signboard and commemorative poem monument at Daejeon National Cemetery ▲the pavilion signboard at the birthplace of Nongae in Jangsu-gun, Jeonbuk ▲the Jeon Du-hwan living goods exhibition hall at Baekdamsa Temple have been removed, replaced, or are in progress or under review.

Earlier, the Governor of Chungcheongbuk-do accepted the demands of the May 18 Democratic Movement organizations in May and promised to remove facilities related to Jeon Du-hwan and Roh Tae-woo installed at Cheongnamdae, and plans to conduct a public opinion survey for ordinance revision to secure legal grounds.

Also, Hapcheon-gun in Gyeongnam, the hometown of Jeon, showed a stance to review the renaming of Ilhaegongwon Park, which bears Jeon's pen name, following the demands of the "Gyeongnam Movement Headquarters for Clearing Deep-rooted Evils and Building a Democratic Society," and said the final decision would depend on the public opinion of the residents.

Traces glorifying Jeon Du-hwan still remain in various places nationwide. These include ▲the commemorative stone slab in front of the memorial tower at the Incheon Landing Operation Memorial Hall in Incheon ▲the "Jeon Du-hwan Bell" at the chapel of Sangmu Base in Jangseong-gun, Jeonnam ▲the lettering on the sculpture "The Hall of National Reading Education" at the National Library of Korea ▲the "Commemorative Tree Planting" at the National Institute of Korean History ▲and the handwritten phrase "Small and Medium Enterprises are the Pillars of the Nation" in front of the Seoul Small and Medium Business Central Association building.

A representative of the May 18 Memorial Foundation said, "A prompt and responsible decision from the relevant institutions regarding the 'erasure of Jeon Du-hwan traces' is required."

He added, "The May 18 Memorial Foundation will continue to cooperate and unite with meaningful local organizations to erase traces of facilities glorifying Jeon Du-hwan. If anyone discovers or knows of such facilities, please report them to the May 18 Memorial Foundation's Confession and Testimony Center."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.