Kim Tae-heum: "Hong Beom-do and Jeong Yul-seong Are Completely Different... The Country Is in Big Trouble"

Chungnam Governor's CBS Radio Interview
"Army Spraying Independent Army... Opposes Bust Removal"
Jeong Yulseong Park Opposes: "No Worthy Debate"

Kim Tae-heum, Governor of Chungnam Province, on the 29th, commented on the Ministry of National Defense's plan to remove and relocate the busts of five independence heroes, including General Hong Beom-do, installed at the Korea Military Academy, saying, "The roots of the founding of our Republic of Korea lie in the Provisional Government, and the military in the Korean Independence Army." He added, "From that perspective, the busts of Generals Kim Jwa-jin, Ji Cheong-cheon, and Lee Beom-seok should not be removed."

In front of the Chungmugwan Hall at the Korea Military Academy, busts of five figures?Generals Hong Beom-do, Kim Jwa-jin, Ji Cheong-cheon, Lee Beom-seok, and Lee Hoe-young, the founder of the Shinheung Military Academy?were erected in 2018 to commemorate the 99th anniversary of the March 1st Movement.

As the controversy over the removal and relocation expanded, the Ministry of National Defense announced on the 28th that it would be appropriate to relocate General Hong Beom-do's bust to the Independence Hall of Korea due to his history of joining and participating in the Soviet Communist Party. Along with this, the Ministry is also considering relocating the bust of General Hong Beom-do installed in front of the Ministry of National Defense building.

The unveiling ceremony of busts of five independence war heroes held on March 1, 2018, at the Korea Military Academy in Seoul. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Regarding this, Governor Kim appeared on CBS Radio's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show' on the same day and said, "General Hong passed away in 1943 and did not initiate the Korean War nor participate in the war against the North Korean army," adding, "Before liberation, both left and right wings participated together in the independence movement."

Governor Kim stated, "At that time, our country did not know that it would be divided or that the Korean War would break out," and said, "It should be judged in the historical context, and it is inappropriate to criticize his past membership in the Communist Party."

On the other hand, he expressed a clear opposition stance regarding the 'Jeong Yul-seong Historical Park Development Project,' which is currently a point of conflict between Gwangju City and the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs. Governor Kim strongly criticized, saying, "Jeong Yul-seong went to China, joined the Patriotic Corps, created the Liberation Army song of the Communist Party and the Marching Song of North Korea, and also participated in the Korean War," adding, "Building a park for such a person is really the idea of strange people."

Governor Kim said, "In the case of General Hong Beom-do, there can be discussions and differing opinions, but in the case of the Jeong Yul-seong park project, there is no value in holding a discussion meeting," and warned, "If this country goes this way, it will be a big problem."

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