Opposing Memorials: 40th Anniversary of 5.16

Two opposing events, reflecting the two opposite evaluations of `5.16,` were held in Seoul yesterday.

5.16 National Prize Foundation (Chairperson Kim Jae-Chun, former general director of KCIA) held a ceremony of 5.16 prize awarding at Ramada Renaissance Hotel, Yeoksam-dong, Seoul, to commemorate the `Spirit of 5.16` and the achievement of the former president Park Chung-Hee.

Kim Jong-Pil, honorary president of the United Liberal Democrats, shared a word of encouragement at this meeting. He said, ``5.16 was a grand insurrection of the national spirit to create a strong country and to live decently and we laid the foundation of the democratic welfare state not with words but with our own confidence and practice.``

Park Keun-Hae, eldest daughter of the former president Park, Seo-Young, second daughter, and Ji-Man, only son of Park, participated in the meeting as representatives of Park’s family. Hyun Byong-Kyu, honorary professor of Seoul National University, and Park Choon-Ho, judge of the Court of the Law of the Sea, awarded prizes in the areas of the science and technology and the liberal arts respectively.

The honorary president Kim and other participants paid their reverence at the tomb of the former president Park in Dongjak-dong National cemetery.

Meanwhile, Joint Civic Organizations To Oppose The Establishment Of The Park Chung-Hee Memorial Hall (standing joint representative Kwon Young-kil) held a rally, to oppose the construction of the Park Chung-Hee memorial hall at the place where the memorial hall is to be erected, Sangam-dong, Seoul, at 2:00 p.m. yesterday. They also held an announcement ceremony for the establishment of the memorial tower for the army of national independence.

Lee Kwan-Bok, joint representative of this organization, asserted, ``It’s nonsense to construct a memorial hall for a criminal who treated the same kin with cruelty and destroyed the constitutional order.`` ``It is urgent to build a memorial hall for the patriotic soldiers and the army of national independence,`` he emphasized.

The participants including Rev. Hong Keun-Soo and Joo Jong-Whan, professor of Dongguk University, urged the government to drop the plan to construct a memorial hall for Park Chung-Hee who had fought against the anti-Japan activists since the Japanese colonization. They argued that people’s tax can not be used for such a nonsense.

After burning a puppet of Park Chung-Hee, the participants erected a signpost which stated `Building Site of the Memorial Tower For Patriotic Soldiers and Army of National Independence.`

Min Dong-Yong mindy@donga.com