◀ Anchor ▶
A film about the December 12 military uprising led by the new military regime, including Chun Doo-hwan. <서울의 봄>We reported yesterday that this success is continuing.
In this situation, a plan to build a grave for Mr. Jeon in a border area of Paju, Gyeonggi-do became known, causing strong opposition.
Not only local residents, but even the mayor of Paju have come forward to strongly oppose it.
Reporter Sang-moon Yoon covered the story.
◀ Report ▶
A mountain in Paju, Gyeonggi-do, located in a military protection zone.
As you follow the road, you will see an open observatory.
You can see the Civilian Control Line along the river right in front of you, and you can also see North Korean land in the distance.
It is said that residents visit often because of the good view.
[함덕형/인근 주민]
″If the weather is clear here, you can even see the artificial flag over there in North Korea.″
However, news recently emerged that the remains of Chun Doo-hwan, who had been kept at home since he died two years ago, may be buried at the site of this observatory.
In his memoir six years ago, Mr. Jeon wrote, “I want to celebrate the day of unification by remaining on some hill on the front line overlooking North Korea.”
At the time of his death, the bereaved family also expressed their intention to be buried close to the ceasefire line.
Civic groups and some residents immediately opposed it.
[함덕형/인근 주민]
″It’s not good that the remains of a person that all citizens are afraid of now come to our neighborhood.″
Civic groups in the Paju area held a press conference and strongly criticized, saying, “There is no place for Chun Doo-hwan, a symbol of military dictatorship and oppression of the people, to be buried in a symbolic place of inter-Korean reconciliation.”
[이재희/겨레하나 파주지회장]
″This person has no interest in peaceful unification throughout his life. Just as the Gwangju incident in May 1980 was in fact a North Korean provocation, which now serves as a justification for lying and killing citizens.”
Mr. Jeon’s side recently attempted to purchase about 5,600 square meters around the observatory, which is private property, for about 500 million won, but it is reported that a contract has not yet been reached.
While the fine that could not be collected from Mr. Jeon reached 92.2 billion won, Paju Mayor Kim Gyeong-il said on social media, “We are strongly opposed to Chun Doo-hwan’s burial in Paju,” and “Although administrative procedures have not started, we will continue to monitor trends.”
This is Sang-Moon Yoon from MBC News.
Video coverage: Nam Seong-hyeon / Video editing: Kwon Na-yeon
2023-12-04 11:00:00
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