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In a corner of a backyard in a private residence in Myeongryundong, Seoul, sit two statues of Korea¡¯s first president Syngman Rhee, rusting away. The statues were erected in the late 1950s during Rhee¡¯s term and were pulled down during the April 19 uprising. Only the head is left of the statue that once stood on Mt.Namsan and is covered in blue rope, while the other statue that used to stand in Tapgol Park downtown stands right next to it gathering dust. The only reason these statues are kept in the backyard after spending years at a junk yard is because one high-ranking union official in the Rhee administration saved them during the late 1960s. The official emigrated to another country and sold the house, including the statue.
How many half-decent countries on the face of the earth let the statues of their first presidents roll around in the dirt in this manner? This year marks the 60th anniversary of the Republic of Korea, but not a single statue or memorial hall exists in memory of Rhee, who played a leading role in the establishment of the country. The 133rd anniversary of his birth, which fell on Wednesday, was observed at a church in downtown Seoul attended by only some followers and members of a group that holds various activities to remember him.
There are probably few figures in our history who spark such stark divisions among supporters and opponents. One side honors Rhee as the father of our nation who set the Republic of Korea on the path of the prosperity it enjoys today, while the Left belittles him, accuses him of being a dictator and blames him for dividing the two Koreas. Those are the claims of people who are on the same side as North Korea, insisting that the Korean War was a war of unification. Along with former president Park Chung-hee, Rhee is at the center of sharp ideological conflict between Left and Right.
Clearly, the fact that a 25 m high statue of the president was erected on Mt.Namsan in the final years of the Rhee administration attests to the abnormal political and social conditions at the time. Perhaps that¡¯s why even his statue is being put through such indignities.
But it hadn¡¯t been for Rhee, it would have been difficult for the Republic of Korea to choose the path of democracy and market economy and protect it from war when it was faced with a choice between liberalism or communism. At a time when communism overtook most of the Eurasian continent, the Republic of Korea may not have come to existence, unless we had Rhee who accurately read global political trends and joined hands with the U.S.
Every leader has his merits and demerits. But in Korea¡¯s modern history, which was exceptionally full of ups and downs, light and shade appear exaggerated. At present, almost 50 years after the Syngman Rhee era, we must look at him objectively and find his place in history. There are probably quite a few Koreans who would have mixed emotions if they saw the face and body of the statue of their first president rusting away miserably in somebody¡¯s backyard, amid a clutter of pots, barbed wire and branches.
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