Park dedicated to democracy hero Chang Chun-ha opens in Paju

Posted on : 2012-08-18 10:18 KST Modified on : 2012-08-18 10:18 KST
Chang is reburied at a time when evidence surrounding his death points to murder
 staff photographer)
staff photographer)

By Park Kyung-man, North Gyeonggi correspondent

At around 10:40 am on Aug. 17, the somber refrain of "Lest We Be Bad Forefathers" rang out over the Unification Park in Seongdong, a village in Paju, Gyeonggi province, overlooking the Imjin River and North Korea.

The song, taken from the musical "The Young Chang Chun-ha," was sung by the members of the Paju City Chorus. "Let us not forget our interlocking hands," it went. "Let us recall the passion in our hearts. Lest we be bad forefathers…."

The title was taken from the creed and rallying cry that carried Chang Chun-ha along the 3,000-kilometer road to the provisional government in Chungking following his escape from the Japanese army.

Chang Chun-ha Park has officially opened in Paju's Unification Park in honor of the independence activist. Born in 1918, Chang founded the monthly journal "Sasanggye (World of Thought)" and battled for democracy against the Park Chung-hee dictatorship. The opening comes 37 years after his 1975 death.

The 37th anniversary memorial-cum-opening ceremony had a strong turnout, perhaps reflecting the greater attention Chang has received in recent weeks after the surfacing of evidence of foul play in his death. Among the more than one thousand people who came out were Chang's widow, Kim Hee-sook, 88, and other family members, chairman Lee Hae-chan and primary candidate Jeong Sye-kyun from the Democratic United Party, and two venerable figures from the dissident movement, Baek Gi-wan and Han Seung-heon.

The attendees lauded Chang's accomplishments and aims and called for a renewed investigation into his death.

In his memorial address, Lee said, "Signs of foul play were apparent on [Chang's remains]. Our job is to discover the identity of those who did this terrible thing and allow his soul to rest."

Speaking on behalf of the family, oldest son Chang Ho-gwon said, "When my father showed himself before us after 37 years, he was sending a message for us to establish true democracy, which has not yet been achieved, and create a unified country."

The park measures 3,967 square meters and bears a 40-meter-long memorial wall in the shape of the Baekdu mountain range, which is inscribed with Chang's life history and achievements. At its center is a bust of Chang in relief and a stone pillow, symbolizing his asceticism and spirit. It also includes "Stone Pillow," a record of Chang's fight against Japan, and his journal "Sasanggye," which served as a beacon for intellectuals in his day. In a well-lit space above the park, Chang's remains are installed in a tomb the shape of a stone pillow, following their Aug. 1 relocation from Nazareth Catholic Cemetery in Paju's Gwangtan township. For the last part of the ceremony, attendees laid flowers and lined up to pay their respects while the Army's 1st Division military band played a requiem.

Lee Gi-ja, a 72-year-old Seoul resident attending the ceremony, said, "You only get a smart country when people are smart. We need to set justice right in this country by finding out the truth of the national leader Chang Chun-ha's unjust death."

Meanwhile, New Frontier Party primary candidate Park Geun-hye responded on August 17 to allegations of homicide in Chang's death. "I thought the Presidential Truth Commission [on Suspicious Deaths] based its investigation on testimony from witnesses who were present at the scene," she said.

Park's remarks came while talking to reporters after a general parliamentarians' meeting where a decision was made to expel lawmaker Hyun Young-hee. "I saw they had those records," she added.

Park declined to comment further.

Observers saw her remarks as indicating that she wishes to avoid getting caught up unnecessarily in the recently resurfacing allegations that Chang was murdered instead of having fallen from a cliff, as was claimed by the KCIA at the time.

Park pointed instead to the findings of the Truth Commission, which in 2004, concluded that the case could not be investigated.

Please direct questions or comments to [englishhani@hani.co.kr]

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