10,000-Person Concert... The Reason Nowon-gu Canceled the 'Yuksa Friendship Day'

'Bust Relocation' Event for Yooksa Residents Also Canceled
District Mayor Oh Seung-rok: "Many Nowon Residents Disappointed and Angry"

Nowon District in Seoul has canceled the 'Korea Military Academy (KMA) Friendship Day' event that was scheduled to be held on the 9th. Initially, Nowon District planned to invite about 10,000 residents to the KMA in Gongneung-dong, which was previously difficult to open due to security reasons, to hold a concert. However, the event was completely canceled following recent controversies over the relocation of General Hong Beom-do's bust within the academy.

On the 29th of last month, Nowon District sent a text message to residents stating, "The 'Nowon District-KMA Friendship Day' event, which symbolizes 'harmony between the military and residents,' was inevitably canceled as it was judged that its meaning could not be properly realized." Instead, the district plans to change the venue to the main stadium of Seoul National University of Science and Technology to hold the event.

Oh Seung-rok, mayor of Nowon District, explained that it was difficult to proceed with the event amid ongoing debates over the relocation of General Hong Beom-do's bust. In an MBC Radio interview, he said, "(If the event proceeds as planned,) various residents would enter the KMA, including those who support and oppose the removal of the bust," adding, "Rather than promoting friendship, a situation where friendships break down was anticipated, so the venue was changed."

Amid ongoing controversy over the relocation of General Hong Beom-do's bust at the Korea Military Academy, Nowon-gu, Seoul, has canceled the "KMA-Nowon-gu Friendship Day" event that was scheduled to be held on the KMA lawn and decided to move the "Gyeongchun Line Concert," which was to be held together, to the Korea University of Science and Technology campus. On the afternoon of the 30th, banners for the canceled and changed events were displayed at the entrance of the Korea Military Academy in Nowon-gu, Seoul.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Mayor Oh criticized the decision to relocate General Hong Beom-do's bust, saying, "Is this Korea’s Military Academy or Japan’s Military Academy? This cannot be acceptable." He added, "Just as Admiral Yi Sun-sin defeated the Japanese army during the Imjin War, the independence army fought against Japan, leading to Korea’s independence and the establishment of today’s Republic of Korea?this is an objective fact."

He continued, "Usually, the 'Requests to the Mayor' board on the Nowon District Office website contains mostly negative comments like 'I wish this would be fixed' or 'Please improve the facilities,' but after the event cancellation, all the posts have been praising the decision," adding, "Surprisingly, there have been many positive reactions, and some people said they 'see Nowon District in a new light.'"

Responding to criticism that he was representing his political party’s stance, Mayor Oh said, "Many residents are angry. I believed this reflected the majority opinion of Nowon residents, so I announced the cancellation accordingly." As a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, he reiterated, "Putting the party aside, this is a historical fact."

He further stated, "The independence army is the root of the national army. The moment the bust is moved out of the academy that trains officers, the atmosphere of friendship is broken," and added that if the relocation is not withdrawn, there will be no future events held within the KMA for the residents.

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