
Education authorities in North Chungcheong Province recently became subject to criticism after deciding to remove from a new school the bust of Sin Hong-sik, a Christian pastor who was among the 33 people who signed Korea's declaration of independence from Japan on March 1, 1919.
It was belatedly reported that Chungcheongbukdo Office of Education had demolished the bust that was standing on the former grounds of the since-relocated Gaduk Middle School in Gadeok-myeon, Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, where Danjae High School is to open in March.
The office said that the statue is old and "does not correspond with the education philosophy of the (Danjae) school," adding that alumni of Gaduk had given their consent for the bust's removal.
But the decision has sparked complaints from others around the province, saying that the education office had no grounds to remove the monument to an independence fighter with no notable controversy.
Park Jin-hee, a member of the North Chungcheong Provincial Council, pointed out that Sin is a freedom fighter who was born and raised in Gadeok-myeon. She raised questions about what aspect clashes with the education policy of Danjae High School, given that the school's name comes from the pseudonym of another renowned freedom fighter, Shin Chae-ho.
Park also took issue with the provincial education office directly ordering the removal of the bust, saying it overstepped the authority of Cheongju's education office that has the power to supervise properties related to Gaduk Middle School.
Upon the controversy, the Chungcheongbukdo Office of Education said it is reviewing the erection of a new bust of Sin Hong-sik at the relocated Gaduk Middle School, which is being jointly operated with Gadeok Elementary School due to a shortage of students in the area.
Freedom fighter Sin, born in 1872, signed the declaration of independence as a representative from the Christian community of Koreans. He was among the most notable figures to spread Christianity in the country at the time. He was imprisoned by Japanese colonial forces for his part in the independence movement.
Sin was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal in 1962, the second-highest honor from the Order of Merit for National Foundation.