The man who vandalized the communist party congress site marker also destroyed the bust of Jeong Yul-seong

The bust of Jeong Yul-seong was removed from its location in Jeong Yulseong Street in Yangnim-dong, Nam-gu, Gwangju on the morning of October 2. Yonhap News

On October 2, the police booked Yun (55) for intentionally damaging the bust of Jeong Yul-seong installed in the Jeong Yulseong Street in Gwangju. Yun was the man who vandalized the stone marker for the site of the inaugural congress of the Communist Party of Korea in Jung-gu, Seoul in May. The latest incident raised concern that the far-right vandalism was spreading to society in general under the banner, “a battle of ideologies,” which the People Power Party (PPP) has been promoting.

In a phone call with the Kyunghyang Shinmun on October 4, Yun, who runs a conservative YouTube channel, said, “I tied a rope around the neck (of the bust of Jeong Yul-seong), tied the rope to a truck, and pulled,” and admitted his crime. Yun claimed he pulled the bust down as an expression of his opposition to the Jeong Yul-seong History Park, which the city of Gwangju is promoting and said, “I plan to remove them all (monuments related to people with any ties to the Communist Party).”

Jeong Yul-seong, a composer and an anti-Japanese activist, was born in Gwangju. He joined the Chinese Communist Party in 1939 and after liberation, resided in North Korea and composed the Korean People’s Army March. The Gwangju metropolitan government evaluated Jeong Yul-seong as a figure who contributed to South Korea’s friendly ties with China and has been promoting various memorial projects for the last twenty years. The bust was the possession of the Haizhu District Youth Association in Guangzhou, China. It then passed through the hands of the South Gwangju Youth Chamber and the Nam-gu Office in Gwangju before it was finally placed in Jeong Yulseong Street in Yangnim-dong, Gwangju in July 2009. The Nam-gu Office reported Yun to the police for the destruction of a public structure. The Gwangju Nambu Police Station also booked Yun for property damage on October 2.

Previously in May, Yun removed the stone marker for the site of the inaugural congress of the Communist Party of Korea in Jung-gu, Seoul and buried the stone near the Sarang Jeil Church in Seongbuk-gu. In June, the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office filed a summary indictment for a fine of three million won, but Yun appealed. A formal trial is currently in process.

Regardless of Yun’s crime, it is uncertain as to whether the monuments Yun illegally removed will return to their original locations. Five months have passed since the stone marker disappeared, but the Seoul metropolitan government has not engaged in any discussions to replace the stone marker. The Nam-gu Office in Gwangju plans to begin discussing reinstalling the bust after the police investigation results are out.

Experts claim that the war against communism, which the government and PPP practically declared, lies behind the attempts to destroy historical articles and monuments. Earlier in August, Minister of Patriots and Veterans Affairs Park Min-shik described Jeong Yul-seong as someone “like the bugler of the Communist Party” and asked the local government to cancel plans to create the Jeong Yul-seong History Park. President Yoon Suk-yeol also mentioned “communist totalitarianism” and “anti-state forces” in official events, including his speech celebrating National Liberation Day, and fueled the anti-communist battle of ideologies. In August, the Ministry of National Defense announced plans to relocate the busts of independence activists including General Hong Beom-do installed in the Korea Military Academy because of his membership in the Soviet Union Communist Party.

Ban Byung-ryul, professor emeritus in history at the Hankuk University of Foreign Studies said, “There has always been accusations of communism in our politics, but recently, they have become more open.” He claimed that the government’s official position gave people vandalizing monuments the confidence that they wouldn’t face any problems and said, “Damaging monuments is an act of violence completely different from a process of realizing one’s argument through dialogue and persuasion.”

Some also pointed out that such dichotomous thinking of communism versus anti-communism caused a misreading of history. Dr. Ban argued, “Dividing people into communists and people who are not communists is a dangerous way of thinking,” and explained, “There are various forms of communism according to the interests of the country and people.” He also said, “If people collectively act out and engage in violent behavior just because other people have different ideas, they will threaten the existence of democracy, which is based on embracing differences.”