Controversy Arises Late Before Completion... What Will Happen to Jeong Yulseong Park?

Minister of Patriots and Veterans Affairs "I will stake my career to stop it"
'Dilemma' in Gwangju Metropolitan City nearing completion

Controversy continues over the Jeong Yul-seong Historical Park project involving Jeong Yul-seong, a Chinese naturalized musician originally from Gwangju.

The core of the controversy lies in Jeong Yul-seong's naturalization in China and his membership in the Communist Party. Jeong Yul-seong, a musician, participated in the anti-Japanese independence movement, and many members of both his paternal and maternal families were involved in the independence movement. Jeong Yul-seong joined the Chinese Communist Party in 1939, composed the "March of the Eighth Route Army," and after liberation, defected to North Korea.

The Gwangju Metropolitan City has been carrying out the Jeong Yul-seong Historical Park project for six years and is preparing for the completion ceremony at the end of this year or early next year. As the park's opening approaches, the controversy has suddenly ignited, putting Gwangju Metropolitan City in a difficult position.

The Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs (MPVA) is raising issues with Jeong Yul-seong’s background and demanding the suspension of the park project. Minister Park Min-sik of the MPVA declared on the 28th of last month, "Jeong Yul-seong’s actions are absolutely unacceptable to the Republic of Korea," and vowed, "I will risk my ministerial position to stop this project."

On the afternoon of the 28th, when the controversy over the Jeong Yul-seong Memorial Project continued, a citizen is passing by Jeong Yul-seong-ro, established in Nam-gu, Gwangju.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Minister Park stated, "Jeong Yul-seong was someone who pointed a gun at our national army and people’s hearts. It is unacceptable to spend even one won of the people's budget on a project honoring a person who directly denies the values of South Korea’s liberal democracy," adding, "If public funds are involved, we can proceed with an audit request through the Board of Audit and Inspection either by authority or through various procedures."

Furthermore, President Yoon Suk-yeol reportedly called the Jeong Yul-seong park project "a very serious issue that damages the identity of the Republic of Korea" and ordered related government departments to respond swiftly, raising the risk that the project itself may be halted.

However, Gwangju Mayor Kang Ki-jung said, "I cannot arbitrarily decide whether to withdraw the project," and added, "The decision was made six years ago, and it is the accumulated result of five successive Gwangju mayors."

In interviews on the YouTube channel "Kim Eo-jun’s Humility is Difficult News Factory" and BBS Radio on the 29th of last month, Mayor Kang said, "Since past mayors made this through extensive discussions and verification processes, if the citizens of Gwangju decide in the future that the Jeong Yul-seong park should be closed, then we will do so."

He emphasized, "The government keeps telling us to close the Jeong Yul-seong park, but I believe policies should not be changed recklessly just because the administration or mayor changes."

He also rebutted by saying, "The Jeong Yul-seong commemorative project was initially started by the government, so blaming local governments that followed is incomprehensible," noting that commemorative events for Jeong Yul-seong were held even during conservative administrations such as those of Roh Tae-woo, Kim Young-sam, and Park Geun-hye.

While acknowledging that there may be controversy over Jeong Yul-seong’s Communist Party membership, Mayor Kang said, "If healthy discussions are needed, I am willing to have them, but I cannot agree with the approach of suppressing it outright."

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