Minister Park Min-sik, "Communist Party Propagandist Jeong Yul-seong Should Not Be Honored"

'Hero's Uniform' Delivered to Honam Student Soldiers... "We Will Establish a Memorial Facility"

Minister of Patriots and Veterans Affairs Park Min-sik visited Suncheon, Jeonnam, the sacred place of Honam Student Soldiers, and called for the complete withdrawal of Gwangju Metropolitan City's historical park project commemorating Jeong Yul-seong, a revolutionary musician from China who was born in Gwangju.

On the 28th at Suncheon Station Plaza, Minister Park said, "Jeong Yul-seong was a cheerleader who boosted the morale of the enemies who pointed guns and swords at us," adding, "The resentment and blood of countless patriotic spirits who were killed by communist forces have not yet cooled." He emphasized, "I cannot help but feel devastated by the attempt to make students remember and honor the communist party's trumpet. Not a single won of the people's precious budget can be used for anything that goes against the values of the Republic of Korea."

Minister Park announced plans to build a memorial facility at Suncheon Station Plaza that can inherit the spirit of the 'Honam Student Soldiers.' Suncheon Station is where about 180 students from 17 schools in the Honam region, including Suncheon, Yeosu, Gwangyang, and Beolgyo, gathered and resolved to join the student soldier corps when the Korean War broke out in June 1950. Accordingly, the first student soldier company of the Korean War was formed, and on July 25, 1950, they fought the first student soldier battle, the 'Hwagae Battle,' against over 1,000 soldiers of the North Korean 6th Division in Hwagae-myeon, Hadong-gun, Gyeongnam. Thanks to this battle, the South Korean army was able to buy time to establish the Nakdong River defense line.

Minister Park also met with Go Byeong-hyeon (94), a veteran who participated as a student soldier in the Korean War, and presented him with the 'Hero's Uniform.' Go, while attending Yulchon High Public School in 1950, applied to enlist at the township office but was rejected. In response, he cut off his right index finger with a hammer and submitted a blood letter that read, "I dedicate this body to the motherland, Go Byeong-hyeon of Mujin-saeng." He later enlisted in the Army's 5th Division, 15th Regiment student soldier company.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs has begun a legal review to block Gwangju City's Jeong Yul-seong park project and is reportedly considering a constitutional complaint. Article 184 of the Local Autonomy Act stipulates that the head of a central administrative agency may advise, recommend, or guide the affairs of local governments. Article 188 states that if the orders or dispositions of a local government head are deemed to violate laws or harm the public interest, the competent minister may order correction in writing. If the local government head does not comply, the orders or dispositions may be canceled or suspended.

Earlier, in May 2020, Gwangju City announced plans to create the 'Jeong Yul-seong Historical Park' in the Bullo-dong area of Dong-gu, with a total budget of 4.8 billion won and aimed to complete the park by the end of the year. However, Minister Park Min-sik has pointed out that Jeong Yul-seong was the composer of the Chinese People's Liberation Army march, the 'March of the Eighty-first Army,' and demanded the withdrawal of the park project, sparking controversy.

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