Hong Jun-pyo, Yoo Seung-min, and Lee Jun-seok Unite in Opposition to the Removal of Hong Beom-do's Bust

Mayor Hong: "Nothing to do... Too Over the Top"
Former Rep. Yoo: "Hong Beom-do Died 2 Years Before Liberation"
Ex-Leader Lee: "Revoke Park Chung-hee's Honor First"

The Korea Military Academy announced plans to remove and relocate the busts of five independence activists erected on campus, sparking controversy. In response, Daegu Mayor Hong Jun-pyo, former lawmaker Yoo Seung-min, and former People Power Party leader Lee Jun-seok all voiced their opposition to the relocation in unison.

On the 27th, Daegu Mayor Hong Jun-pyo strongly criticized the Korea Military Academy's plan to move the bust of independence war hero General Hong Beom-do and others to the Independence Hall of Korea, saying, "They really have nothing better to do."

Through social media (SNS), Mayor Hong questioned, "They are neither former North Korean soldiers who started the Korean War nor former Chinese Communist soldiers who participated in that war, so why is this issue becoming controversial now?" and sharply criticized, "They really have nothing better to do." He added, "While historical and ideological debates are not necessarily bad, trying to expel even the heroes of the anti-Japanese independence war by labeling them as communist specters is way over the top." Mayor Hong further raised his voice, saying, "That is anti-history. Doing so invites misunderstanding as McCarthyism. Stop it. That is not right."

Busts of five heroes of the independence war installed within the Korea Military Academy
[Photo by Yonhap News]

On the same day, former lawmaker Yoo Seung-min pointed out on Facebook, "The reason for the removal being General Hong Beom-do's communist background is hard to accept and inconsistent." He explained, "General Hong passed away two years before liberation, so he has nothing to do with the establishment of the North Korean communist regime or the Korean War." He also questioned, "Generals Ji Cheong-cheon, Lee Hoe-young, Lee Beom-seok, and Kim Jwa-jin have no significant communist background, so why are the busts of these heroes also being removed? Does removing their busts make the military stronger? If the Korea Military Academy removes these busts, what will happen to the busts in the Ministry of National Defense building?" He criticized, "The ideological excesses of the Yoon Seok-yeol administration have gone too far."

Former People Power Party leader Lee Jun-seok also opened his remarks on Facebook the previous day by saying, "If they are going to do that (remove and relocate the busts), wouldn't it be appropriate to revoke General Hong's commendations as well?" He explained, "(The commendation) is the Order of Merit for National Foundation awarded by President Park Chung-hee in 1963," and questioned, "Who can evaluate and individually disgrace an independence activist who received a national commendation, and by what standard?"

Earlier, the Korea Military Academy announced plans to remove the busts of independence heroes General Hong Beom-do, General Kim Jwa-jin, General Ji Cheong-cheon, General Lee Beom-seok, and Mr. Lee Hoe-young, founder of the Shinheung Military Academy, which were erected at the academy to mark the 99th anniversary of the March 1st Movement in 2018, and relocate them to the Independence Hall of Korea, causing an uproar.

On the 25th, Defense Minister Lee Jong-seop appeared at a full meeting of the National Defense Committee of the National Assembly and stated regarding the Korea Military Academy's plan to remove and relocate the busts of independence activists, "Issues regarding communist backgrounds have been raised," and "We plan to reorganize the memorials on the academy campus." Minister Lee said, "There was a question of whether a person (bust) with a communist background should be present in a place that trains personnel necessary to deter war against North Korea and to win in wartime," which was interpreted as a reference to General Hong Beom-do's 1927 membership in the Soviet Communist Party.

Meanwhile, the Korea Military Academy stated in a position paper, "We are promoting a reorganization project for many memorials on campus that commemorate the military's history and tradition," and explained, "Among them, the busts of independence and liberation army heroes installed in front of the central entrance of the building where cadets study since 2018 have been subject to ongoing controversy regarding the appropriateness of their location and the issue that the history of overcoming national crises is limited to a specific period."

They added, "The Korea Military Academy is reviewing the optimal location to relocate the busts of independence and liberation army heroes to a place where many citizens can sympathize," and stated, "On campus, we are focusing on creating the best environment that embodies the school's identity and founding purpose, and that allows one to feel the value and significance of protecting liberal democracy and the ROK-U.S. alliance, as we promote the memorial reorganization project."

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