Court dismisses request to remove statue of ex-President Park Chung-hee in Daegu

DAEGU, Oct. 1 (Yonhap) -- A regional court on Thursday dismissed a request to remove a statue of late former President Park Chung-hee installed outside a train station in the southeastern city of Daegu. The Daegu District Court dismissed the case filed by the Korea National Railway, a state-owned rail infrastructure management company, against the Daegu metropolitan government, some 21 months after the statue was erected on the plaza outside Dongdaegu Station. The railway corporation had argued that the municipal government installed the statue on state-owned property without proper prior consultation. The city government countered that it holds lawful administrative authority over the plaza and that targeting Park's statue while permitting other structures on the site was unfair. The statue was erected under former conservative Mayor Hong Joon-pyo as a tribute to the former conservative leader, who ruled the country for 18 years following a 1961 military coup until his assassination in 1979. Its presence has divided activists and the local community as conservatives praise Park for driving the nation's rapid industrialization and economic development, whereas liberals condemn him as an authoritarian ruler who suppressed political opponents and civil liberties. A statue of late former President Park Chung-hee is seen at Dongdaegu Station Plaza in this file photo, taken Dec. 23, 2024. (Yonhap) yusbvtyhtoo@yna.co.kr(END)