Search Results for: MacArthur statue

Compared to past anti-US protests targeting the MacArthur statue this is actually pretty mild:

South Korean police arrested a man Thursday suspected of defacing a bronze statue of the late General of the Army Douglas MacArthur in Incheon.

Detectives from the Incheon Jungbu station took a 60-year-old Korean man into custody following a 2:50 a.m. disturbance call at Freedom Park, an Incheon police official told Stars and Stripes by phone on Thursday. Police did not identify the man but said he belongs to an activist group called the Peace Agreement Movement Headquarters.

The group describes itself on its website as a peaceful organization that opposes the deployment of American troops in South Korea and their joint military exercises.

The man is suspected of destroying public property by writing “Deport U.S. troops” in red paint at the base of MacArthur’s statue located at the park, the police official said.

The man is also accused of chiseling a nearby inscription honoring MacArthur’s place in South Korea’s history, as well as defacing MacArthur’s face on a separate memorial with red paint.

Stars & Stripes

You can read more at the link, but tearing down the MacArthur Statue has been a long time goal of the Korean radical left to tear down the MacArthur Statue. They even attempted to do this on the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. Unsurprisingly it was found that past attempts to tear down the statue were led by a North Korean spy.

Here we go again with the leftists wanting to tear down the MacArthur Statue in Incheon:

During the Korean War, Ahn Hag-sub was a devoted 22-year-old communist serving in a North Korean militia unit. Seven decades later, he still hates the Americans, and their wartime leader, Gen. Douglas MacArthur.

At age 91, he says his last act of resistance against MacArthur will be lighting on fire a statue of the general that has stood in Incheon since 1957.

“MacArthur is the enemy of our people,” Ahn said in an interview at his home near Incheon, a South Korean port city located an hour’s drive west of Seoul. Ahn has lived there since the late 1990s, when he was released from a South Korean prison on humanitarian grounds, after spending 40 years behind bars. “I will resist for as long as I can,” he added, tightening his lips.

In South Korea, declaring loyalty to North Korea — as Ahn did, something he still refuses to rescind — is a serious national security crime that can land violators in prison for life.

As a free man, Ahn joined a small but dedicated far-left nationalist group calling itself the Peace Treaty Movement. (It’s with several younger colleagues in that group that Ahn said he’d set alight the MacArthur statue.) The movement’s dislike of MacArthur, who died in 1964, reflects a minority opinion in South Korea, but a heated one.

At a time when the statues of historical figures are being reexamined (and in some cases removed) in the United States and Britain, they are trying to bring attention to a debate over this pivotal — and foreign — figure in modern South Korea’s history.

South Koreans with similar views to Ahn’s see MacArthur as a ruthless commander whose forces killed Korean civilians. MacArthur’s statue should be removed, they say, and sent to the war museum in Seoul. Or, better, it should be dismantled.

Stars & Stripes

You can read more at the link, but this has been a long time goal of the Korean radical left to tear down the MacArthur Statue. They even attempted to do this on the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. Unsurprisingly it was found that past attempts to tear down the statue were led by a North Korean spy.

Hypocracy under the Moon administration. The anti-US arsonists who set fire 2 times to the MacArthur statue found not guilty. The 1st time, there was not even an investigation. But Taegukki (SK flag) rally person knocking down an illegal, politically-used Sewol tower gets jailed. https://t.co/Mg2TWer0D2

— Tara O (@DrTaraO) October 29, 2018

With the is rise of the anti-American left in South Korea once again, the Sept. 11th anniversary is good time to remind readers of how blatant anti-Americanism once was in South Korea:

https://www.rokdrop.net/2005/09/911-hate-fest-in-south-korea-2/

Is there anyone out there suprised by the arrest of one of the leaders of the MacArthur protests as a North Korean spy? From the Chosun:

An activist who is on parole after serving time for spying for North Korea has been arrested for espionage again. Kang Soon-jeong, the former vice chairman of the South Korean chapter of the Pan-Korean Alliance for Reunification, an outlawed pro-Pyongyang group, was arrested on Tuesday for providing “national secrets” to Pyongyang, police said. Kang was also co-chairman of a civic group that led efforts to topple the statue of U.S. general Dougas MacArthur in Incheon last year.

Let’s remember the MacArthur protests of 2005 for a minute. The biggest protest happened on September 11, 2005 and was deliberately planned to occur on the same date of the worst terrorist attack in American history in order to rub it into Americans’ faces.

How can we ever forget images like this:

Or my personal favorite:

Something else to remember was that it wasn’t just the North Korean stooges calling for the removal of the MacArthur statue, but also the Korea Times newspaper:

As President Roh made it clear that it is the government’s position to keep the statue, U.S. lawmakers had better wait and see. Nor is this an issue for partisan wrangling domestically. Related officials can consider relocating it to a war memorial from the present public park someday. We have never heard of a statue of Dwight Eisenhower in Normandy to commemorate D-Day.

So keep that in mind the next time you read the Korea Times, that they advocated removing the MacArthur statue because a bunch of North Korean sponsored stooges demanded it. Plus their claims that Eisenhower’s statue is not on display at Normandy were proven to be utterly false as well. Ike’s statue stands proudly at Normandy just like MacArthur’s statue should continue to stand proudly at Inchon.

However, not everyone has forgotten about what MacArthur means to South Korea:

These ROK veterans at the time called the anti-MacArthur protesters North Korean spies and they were right.

The US Congress even got involved in the MacArthur controversy by sending this letter to the Blue House condemning the protests:

Members of the U.S. House Committee on International Relations on Thursday protested at calls in Korea to topple a statue of U.S. general Douglas MacArthur in Incheon. Their protest came in a letter to President Roh Moo-hyun signed by committee chairman Henry Hyde and others.

The letter said but for the 1950 Incheon landing led by MacArthur, the Korea of today would not exist. If attempts to damage the statue continued, it would be better to hand it over to the Americans, the signatories said.

(…)

Needless to say Mr. President the Congress of the United States and the American people would never subscribe to such a description of a hero who led the allied forces which liberated the Republic of Korea twice, first from the yoke of Japanese colonialism 60 years ago this summer and secondly through the brilliant execution of the Inchon landing 55 years ago this month. Our critical bilateral alliance was forged in the crucible of Inchon. The common sacrifices, goals, and achievements which sprang out of Inchon form, in our opinion, the continuing basis for our alliance. We presume that the government of the Republic of Korea shares this view of the critical importance fo the Inchon Landing and the leadership of General Douglas MacArthur.

(…)

In the chamber of the US House of Representatives, directly behind the speaker’s podium hang two portraits. On one side is that of a foreign friend, a soldier who came from a far to assist in the common cause of American independence. That portrait is of the Marquis de Lafayette. For more than 200 years his memory has been implanted deep in the hearts of the American people. We would hope that General MacArthur is so remembered in the hearts of the South Korean people.

Not to be out done the British ambassador to Korea had plenty to say as well:

“I have been saddened to read that a group of protestors attacked and called for the removal of the statue of the U.S. general MacArthur in Incheon. The statue was erected to commemorate the Incheon Landing, which he led, and which was one of the most decisive interventions of the Korean War. British naval vessels were among those involved. By attacking his statue and his memory, these protestors are also denigrating ALL those foreign soldiers under the UN command, who came to fight alongside South Korea in that war. There were men and women from more than 20 nations involved, including my own. Tens of thousands of them gave their lives so that South Korea should remain free and independent. Without the fierce allied fighting that followed there was a real chance that South Korea, by then pinned down to Busan, would have been overrun.

“None of us can change our country’s history. What happened, happened, and we should respect the right for people to demonstrate peacefully, but these protestors risk alienating more than just American friends. I am glad there have been some firmly-worded editorials, and that a number of leading figures, including Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon, have spoken up. They need to, and strongly, if good friends of Korea and war veterans from many countries are not to feel insulted.”

With North Korean agents leading protests to tear down the MacArthur statue and create a wedge in the US-ROK alliance what does the ruling Uri Party chairman do? Blame the conservative groups protecting the statue of course:

Ruling Uri Party chairman Moon Hee-sang said Sunday the dispute over a statue of U.S. general Douglas MacArthur in Incheon was “a clash between civic organizations,” but some media outlets and conservative forces blew it out of proportion for reasons of their own. They “sow distrust and friction between Korea and the United States on the pretext of being concerned about the Korea-U.S. alliance,” he said.

With this arrest of a North Korean spy it is also important to remember those in the Korean government and media that were complicit in this obvious North Korean sponsored attempt to create a wedge in the US-ROK alliance. The only thing I find surprising about the spy arrest is why it took so long to uncover it?

HT: One Free Korea

Maybe if the hate groups didn’t do this, the city of Incheon wouldn’t need to do this:

The statue of U.S. General Douglas MacArthur has again become the subject of controversy with civic groups criticizing the Incheon district office in charge of Freedom Park, in which it stands, for violating human rights by placing security cameras around the statue.
Last month, the office spent 30 million won ($31,055) to place two cameras in front and behind the statue in order to prevent it from being defaced.

An official said yesterday that the measures were taken after a request by police, but also to protect the facilities of Freedom Park.
Civic organizations argue that citizens visiting the park are being considered potential criminals and that too much money has been spent on the precautions.

Left-wing activists here have called General MacArthur a war criminal and tried to remove the statue, clashing with authorities and conservative groups who argue that the general played a pivotal role during the Korean War.

This is what the ruling Uri Party Chairman had to say in today’s Chosun Ilbo about the MacArthur statue controversy in Inchon:

Ruling Uri Party chairman Moon Hee-sang said Sunday the dispute over a statue of U.S. general Douglas MacArthur in Incheon was “a clash between civic organizations,” but some media outlets and conservative forces blew it out of proportion for reasons of their own. They “sow distrust and friction between Korea and the United States on the pretext of being concerned about the Korea-U.S. alliance,” he said.

Let me get this right, the people that are trying to tear down the statue and rewrite history are not the ones driving a wedge in the ROK-US alliance? It is in fact the people who are defending the statue that are driving a wedge in the US-ROK alliance. So according to the leader of the ruling Uri Party the conservatives should just let the anti-American hate groups tear down the statue and the US-ROK alliance will be better for it. Is this how I’m supposed to take this comment?

UPDATE #2: One of my commenters Michael has pictures of Ike’s statue in France up on his site.
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UPDATE #1: Somebody has called the Korea Times on there misinformation attempt and the Korea Times actually published it! Will miracles never cease! Interestingly the Korea Times didn’t publish the author’s name who informed them that France does in fact have many statues not only honoring Eisenhauer but also other famous American generals. So whoever it was great job.

_____________________________________

This editorial in the Korea Times began by giving the same government talking points about the MacArthur Statue, that it should stay in Korea, that MacArthur with his faults still is the one that lead the Inchon Landing, blah, blah, blah, etc. Until this last paragraph where this was slipped in:

As President Roh made it clear that it is the government’s position to keep the statue, U.S. lawmakers had better wait and see. Nor is this an issue for partisan wrangling domestically. Related officials can consider relocating it to a war memorial from the present public park someday. We have never heard of a statue of Dwight Eisenhower in Normandy to commemorate D-Day.

Does this mean that the Korea Times wants the statue removed and sent to the Korean War Memorial instead? This statue has stood in that park for almost 50 years and now because of few communist hate groups don’t like seeing it, the Korea Times advocates removing the statue?

The people of Inchon are the ones who bought the statue and emplaced it in their park. They are the ones who should decide if MacArthur should go or not. Not the hate groups, the media, or national government, but the people of Inchon. Put it to a referendum to let the people of Inchon decide. That would end this controversy right then and there.

Of course the hate groups, that want to see the statue go, don’t want that because the people of Inchon will overwhelmingly vote to keep it. That would be democracy in action and that is not what these communists want to see. Apparently neither does the Korea Times.

The MacArthur Statue controversy has now taken a new twist with the US Congress now weighing in on the controversy and they are voicing their displeasure of the Korean government’s handling of this situation:

Members of the U.S. House Committee on International Relations on Thursday protested at calls in Korea to topple a statue of U.S. general Douglas MacArthur in Incheon. Their protest came in a letter to President Roh Moo-hyun signed by committee chairman Henry Hyde and others.

The letter said but for the 1950 Incheon landing led by MacArthur, the Korea of today would not exist. If attempts to damage the statue continued, it would be better to hand it over to the Americans, the signatories said.

One Free Korea has the complete scanned letter posted on his site. If a posting from One Free Korea has ever been a MUST READ!!!!! this one is it. Reading through the letter the Congressional Representatives had some really good passages that voice their displeasure. Here is one I particularly liked:

Needless to say Mr. President the Congress of the United States and the American people would never subscribe to such a description of a hero who led the allied forces which liberated the Republic of Korea twice, first from the yoke of Japanese colonialism 60 years ago this summer and secondly through the brilliant execution of the Inchon landing 55 years ago this month. Our critical bilateral alliance was forged in the crucible of Inchon. The common sacrifices, goals, and achievements which sprang out of Inchon form, in our opinion, the continuing basis for our alliance. We presume that the government of the Republic of Korea shares this view of the critical importance fo the Inchon Landing and the leadership of General Douglas MacArthur.

Reading in between the lines of this paragraph the Congressmen wanted to remind President Roh that America did in fact liberate South Korea twice and that Inchon is the symbolic representation of the liberation given to Korea through American intervention and that by denying Inchon and MacArthur you deny the US-ROK alliance as well. The last part about presuming that the Korean government shares these views is, I believe, the Congressmen trying to call President Roh’s bluff. President Roh has spoke out before that the protests are straining US-ROK relations but he has never condemned the ideology that the hate groups stand for.

It appears to me that the Congressmen want to know if President Roh believes General MacArthur is someone who helped liberate Korea or if he believes the general is a war criminal. President Roh has been trying to dodge this question because he knows MacArthur helped liberate Korea, but he doesn’t want to say it because then he would be denying the revisionists beliefs of his own political party and would give the appearance that he is giving in to American demands, which is something he has vowed not to do during his election campaign. It would be interesting to see the response to this letter; to see if President Roh actually confirms that MacArthur helped liberate Korea.

Here is another passage I thought was very well written:

In the chamber of the US House of Representatives, directly behind the speaker’s podium hang two portraits. On one side is that of a foreign friend, a soldier who came from a far to assist in the common cause of American independence. That portrait is of the Marquis de Lafayette. For more than 200 years his memory has been implanted deep in the hearts of the American people. We would hope that General MacArthur is so remembered in the hearts of the South Korean people.

I wouldn’t call Lafayette “implanted deep in the hearts of the American people”, because many Americans don’t know who he is, but many Americans do know that the French did aid the US in winning our war for independence from the British even if they don’t know the name of the Frenchmen who was a trusted friend and officer for George Washington’s Continental Army. However, people that do study history and know who Lafayette was cannot deny that he and the other Frenchmen who came to America to fight the British were directly responsible in helping the US colonies achieve independence no matter what the current bilateral relationship between the two countries stands at today.

I tend to think that the Statue of Liberty stands as another great example of the US appreciating the shared history between the US and France. The Statue of Liberty was a gift from France that reprents the friendship between the two countries that was originally forged in blood, just like the US-ROK alliance. No one would ever dream of tearing down the Statue of Liberty to deny this shared history due to poor bilateral relations today.

I want to clarify that I think these hate groups can protest all they want but they don’t have the right to assault people and destroy property and get away with it. I also think that when they spread blatant lies and propaganda concerning the shared history of the US and Korea, that the Korean government has a responsibility to state their stance to something that clearly effects the very credibility of the US-ROK alliance. When the government doesn’t voice strong opposition to these hate groups it only gives these people more credibility with the public and encouragement to continue their violent activities.

So on this note, I have to dispute the Marmot’s belief that the MacArthur statue controversy is a domestic debate within Korea that the US Congress shouldn’t have intervened in. I tend to think that if the Korean government would have clearly stated their opposition to the hate groups from the beginning instead of making vague statements and arrested those that provoked violence and property damage, then the US Congress would have never gotten involved in the controversy to begin with.

With the Korean government taking no firm action and with the Pyongtaek land deal issue to relocate US forces away from the DMZ still waiting to be completed due to anti-American protests, I believe the Congressmen felt they had to make a stand on this issue to test the resolve of the Korean government to defend the US-ROK alliance. So as I stated before, the focus of the Congressional letter when you read between the lines is not really addressing the physical well being of the statue; it is addressing what the statue represents. Does the Korean government believe in the US-ROK alliance and are they willing to really publicly defend it?

If the Korean government is not willing to strongly defend what MacArthur represents then why should the US government believe that Korea would support the US in the up coming land deal in Pyeongtaek or more importantly with any hostilities with the North Koreans? Especially with the nuclear crisis still brewing. This is what makes the MacArthur statue more than just a Korean domestic matter. It is a test of the resolve of the Korean government to continue the US-ROK alliance in it’s current form. Or am I reading to much into this and the Congressmen just want a new statue to put up at the US Capitol building? Well, you be the judge.

With this in mind, I have to give huge props to the House International Relations Committee for finally standing up against the ridiculous disinformation, violence, and anti-Americanism being preached by the hate groups here which the Korean government does little to respond to.

Here is a list of the Congressmen responsible for the letter. If you are from their district I encourage you to drop them e-mail on their site thanking them for speaking out on this issue:

Henry Hyde (R-IL): Chairman of House International Relations Committee

Dana Rohrabacher (D-CA)

Ed Royce (R-CA)

Joseph Crowley (D-NY)

Eni Faleomavaega (D-American Samoa)

Veterans and retirees of the ROK Marine Corps turned out in force to commemorate General Douglas MacArthur at Inchon’s Freedom Park:

Marine Corps Veterans Association president Kim Myung-hwan told the rally attended by more than 3,000 veterans and others from across the country, “We cannot remain silent on calls for the removal of the MacArthur statue. Now Marine Corps veterans have to step forward.”

“The General MacArthur statue is an expression of our gratitude to the countries that participated in the Korean War,” said former defense minister Kim Sung-eun. “The reality is indeed so upsetting that it impels us to hold such a rally.”

Clad in Marine Corps uniforms and wearing red caps, the veterans waved Korean and American national flags and shouted such slogans as “Right!” and “Let’s Safeguard the Korea-U.S. alliance,” while listening to speeches. The rally site was filled with placards, some of which read, “Let’s decisively cope with anti-American and pro-North Korean forces that turn the cold shoulder to our national interests,” and, “Let’s leave to our posterity the fatherland we have defended with blood and sweat.”

I think it is great that these veterans are turning out and voicing their strong support of General MacArthur and the US-ROK alliance. However, I would like to see more average Koreans out defending the statue. Pictures of these older ROK Marine Corps veterans in uniform will not do much to sway public opinion here in Korea against the hate groups. Many people in Korea dislike the military as much as they dislike the hate groups.

ROK Veterans battle anti-US leftists in the streets of Inchon. 

The mayor of Inchon is the man that may be able be mobilize real public opinion against the hate groups:

At another ceremony celebrating the same occasion at the Incheon Landing Memorial in the morning, Incheon mayor Ahn Sang-soo said, “Assertions to remove the MacArthur statue are of help at all to the unification and prosperity of the nation.” The 2.65 million Incheon citizens will defend the MacArthur statue, added Ahn.

If the good mayor was able to mobilize a massive rally against the hate groups then that would clearly show the resolve of the citizens of Inchon. If not then the hate groups will continue to show up and cause problems to further try to cause a wedge between the US and Korean governments on this issue.

Of course the Marmot has outstanding coverage on this issue as well that you should check out.