Shin Seok-jeong, Lee Cheol-gyun, and Baekyangchon City moved to a site near the badminton court at Deokjin Sports Park.
Jeonju City “Inevitably relocated to the city due to commercialization of Deokjin Park open plaza”
Jeonju Munhyeop “Arbitrarily moved without consultation… Deokjin Park must be restored to its original state”
The cigar that was moved from Deokjin Park is lying in one corner of the Deokjin Sports Park parking lot/Photo = Reporter Park Eun
Controversy arose as it became known that Jeonju City had demolished the poetry monuments of Jeonju’s representative poets in the center of the park without notice while promoting the Deokjin Park open plaza project. The controversies against which Jeonju City is receiving backlash are those of poets Shin Seok-jeong, Lee Cheol-gyun, and Baek Yang-chon, who formed the cornerstone of Jeonbuk literary circles. The poets’ memorial has been temporarily moved to an indoor badminton court near the Korea Sori Culture Center, but it is pointed out that it is virtually abandoned.
According to Jeonju City on the 26th, the Deokjin Park open plaza construction project has been in progress since December of last year. To improve the convenience of citizens and the scenery of the park, the infrastructure within the park was improved, and a lawn and a circular plaza were created at the park entrance. Jeonju City’s position is that it had no choice but to demolish the monument during this process.
The problem is that while Jeonju City aims to be a ‘cultural city’, it is treating literature, which is the basis of culture, as an adjunct to administration. It is known that local writers and the Jeonju Writers’ Association have expressed their opposition to the decision to relocate the city monument to Jeonju City. This is because the area around the indoor badminton court that Jeonju City decided to move is inaccessible and lacks literary symbolism.
A monument placed in a corner of the parking lot of Deokjin Sports Park/Photo = Reporter Park Eun
A local senior poet said, “The monument should be restored to its original state in Deokjin Park,” and criticized, “The promise made by the administration and writers to build the monument in the first place was arbitrarily moved without consultation.” He added, “Putting up a monument in Deokjin Park, a symbolic space of Jeonju, is also positive for Jeonju, which aims to become a cultural city,” adding, “The area near the indoor badminton court is also very poor in terms of accessibility.”
As the controversy grew, Jeonju City explained that it would increase cultural value by creating a memorial park on the site near the indoor badminton court, where the dispute was currently moved.
A monument placed in a corner of the parking lot of Deokjin Sports Park/Photo = Reporter Park Eun
However, the Jeonju Writers’ Association sent an official letter to the Mayor of Jeonju saying, ‘Opposition to the redevelopment of Deokjin Park’ and conveyed their complete opposition to the relocation. The purpose is to ensure that a few fertilizing stones will not damage the scenery of the park or impede the movement of citizens. Above all, even though the monument in Deokjin Park was created with the will of citizens, it is not right to give up the will and unilaterally move the monument.
An official from the Jeonju Literary Association explained, “The monument was suddenly moved to the parking lot near the badminton court without prior agreement with the literary community. If the monument was disturbed, it can be erected on the outskirts of the park rather than in the center.”
It has been reported that Jeonju City has requested that a ‘Literary Monument Park’ be established in place of the Memorial Park currently under construction, and that the tomb of Choi Myeong-hee be designated as a literary park in the future. At the same time, the Jeonju Literary Association said, “Literators are hoping that the dispute will be held in Deokjin Park,” and added, “If the business continues like this, there is even an opinion that there will be a boycott.”
Accordingly, Jeonju City has temporarily suspended the construction of Memorial Park, which was scheduled to be completed at the end of October. The plan is to internally review the current demands of the Jeonju Writers’ Association and establish a mid- to long-term plan to resolve them amicably.
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