Many signs remain in our society as evidence that even in our generation there was a time when someone ruled the country thinking he himself was the state incarnate, and that such thinking was not exclusive to the pre-modern era of tyrannical monarchy. Those signs mock the spirit of the times, since they are often found in the form of near-permanent carvings and inscriptions on precious old structures or massive memorials, so that many may know of their “great and lofty” significance.
One of those would be the wooden tablet (hyeonpan) hanging on Gwanghwamun. It was former President Park Chung Hee who did the calligraphy for that tablet, and it is there in the center of the country and the center of the capital, there where many from around the country and abroad pass by, there to be seen on television every time there’s a major event near that great gate. The “obstinate” calligraphy of a dictator hangs from a historic structure that is the main palace of the Joseon royal court and a symbol of the state; what psychological effect that has on those who see it! It was bad enough that he had the traditional structure rebuilt with cement. The way Park wielded his brush on its tablet is a display of his desire to show off his omnipotent dictatorial authority for future generations.
They say Park left his mark with calligraphy on so many historical and cultural landmarks and major commemorative structures that officials can’t figure out where it all is. Geographically close examples include the Haengju Victory Stele, the wooden tablets at Temple Chungnyeol at the Haengju Fortress Wall, the tablets at Hwaseok Pavilion in Paju, the tablets on Unhyeongak in Suwon’s Hwaryeongjeon, and big commemorative rock along the Gupabal section of Tongillo that says “Tongillo” (meaning “Unification Road”) are Park’s doing. Later military dictators Chun Doo Hwan and Roh Tae Woo also left their calligraphy on various historical and cultural landmarks, war memorials, and things like stone structures commemorating the opening of new highways.
The Cultural Heritage Administration says the wooden tablet on Gwanghwamun will be changed on Liberation Day, August 15. What is important is that the problem is not something that should be decided by the head of the Cultural Heritage Administration or a few people associated with him, and not just about the tablet on Gwanghwamun as a separate case. Civic and other groups should come together in an exclusive body to establish standards and principles for wiping away the calligraphy of a shameful history, because historical and cultural landmarks and memorials are Korean people’s estate and textbooks that must be handed down for generations.
The Hankyoreh, 25 January 2005.
[Translations by Seoul Selection (PMS)]
[Editorial] Shameful Signs That Must Be Erased |
