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China-South Korea relations
ChinaDiplomacy

South Korean memorial to draw Chinese tourists sparks controversy for lionising Korean-born composer of PLA anthem

  • The city of Gwangju has proposed building a park as a memorial to Korean-born Zheng Lucheng but critics seek to stop the plan
  • ‘According to that logic, if you want to attract Russian tourists, you have to build Stalin Park,’ says Seoul’s minister of patriots and veterans affairs

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The South Korean city of Gwangju plans to attract Chinese tourists with a memorial park for prominent Korean-Chinese composer Zheng Lucheng. Photo: Weibo
Seong Hyeon Choi
A plan by a South Korean city to attract Chinese tourists with a memorial for a Korean-Chinese composer known for both writing the Chinese military’s anthem and fighting against Seoul during the Korean war has sparked controversy.
The city of Gwangju has proposed building a park memorialising Korean-born Zheng Lucheng who wrote the anthem of the People’s Liberation Army.
In 2009, Zheng Lucheng was named one of the “100 heroes and model figures who made outstanding contributions to the founding of New China” by the Chinese government. Photo: Weibo
In 2009, Zheng Lucheng was named one of the “100 heroes and model figures who made outstanding contributions to the founding of New China” by the Chinese government. Photo: Weibo

Park Min-shik, South Korean Minister of Patriots and Veterans Affairs, made a post on Facebook on Tuesday criticising the plan, saying it “denies the spirit of the constitution” to commemorate someone who “led the way to tear down liberal democratic Korea”.

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“When the tragedy of the Korean war broke out, he organised a war consolation performance group and comforted the Chinese army. Not only that, but he abandoned his nationality and became a Chinese citizen, writing songs for the Chinese Communist Party and ending his life as a Chinese,” Park said.

“As the minister of patriots and veterans affairs, I express strong concern over the plan [by] Gwangju to commemorate the person who took the lead in overthrowing a free Republic of Korea with taxpayers’ money. It should be completely withdrawn.”

03:37

70 years after the end of the Korean war, veterans appeal for a lasting peace on the peninsula

70 years after the end of the Korean war, veterans appeal for a lasting peace on the peninsula
The city government of Gwangju, which is in southwestern South Korea and is Zheng’s birthplace and hometown, announced its plans to create a memorial park commemorating Zheng in May 2020. The work, including a statue and paintings of Zheng, is expected to be finished by the end of this year.
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