Court to rule in October on removal of Park Chung-hee statue at Dongdaegu Station

The legal dispute between Korea National Railway and the Daegu city government over whether to remove the statue of former President Park Chung-hee from the plaza of Dongdaegu Station is nearing its conclusion.

Korea National Railway has argued the statue must be removed because it was installed illegally, while Daegu city has pushed back, contending that singling out the structure for removal is inequitable compared to other facilities permitted to remain and that the demand amounts to an abuse of rights.

A court closed arguments Thursday and scheduled a ruling for October.

Civil Division 11 of the Daegu District Court, presided over by Chief Judge Kwon Jun-beom, closed arguments Thursday in the structural handover lawsuit filed by Korea National Railway against the city of Daegu.

Korea National Railway told the court the structure must be removed because it was installed illegally.

Daegu city countered that demanding removal of this particular structure while tolerating the installation of other facilities is inequitable. The city also argued that the project is in effect complete with only final completion approval remaining, and that conditioning the transfer of plaza ownership on the statue's removal constitutes an abuse of rights.

After the hearing, Park Jun-seok, the attorney representing Daegu city, told reporters the case is fundamentally "a question of how we understand Korea's modern and contemporary history." He added that he hoped "this case becomes an opportunity for understanding and unity rather than conflict and division."

The ruling is scheduled for October.