INCHEON — Plans by a small faction of students to resurrect a controversial monument honoring South Korea’s first president have sparked sharp political pushback at Inha University, putting campus administrators in a difficult balancing act between free expression and public safety.

A student collective named "Inha Spirit" announced intentions to inaugurate an advocacy group on Friday aimed at restoring a statue of former President Rhee Syng-man. The bronze monument, originally erected near the campus’s Inkyung Lake in 1979, was famously toppled and removed by student activists in 1984 amid widespread protests against his authoritarian governance and historical controversies.

The student organizers argue that recognizing Rhee is essential, given his pivotal role in pushing for the founding of the institution as an engineering school during the Korean War in 1952. According to the five-member promotion team, the project is slated for completion by next year, financed entirely through voluntary contributions from alumni and supporters rather than university coffers.

The initiative has immediately drawn fierce opposition. The Incheon Youth Committee of the progressive Minor opposition party launched an aggressive campaign on campus, plastering posters denouncing the revival effort. Critics argue that resurrecting a symbol tied to a historical dictatorship directly insults the university's proud democratic heritage, notably its ties to the student-led April 19 Revolution of 1960.

Tensions further escalated over a scheduled "Youth Leadership Workshop" hosted by the student group on the same day, which features lecture topics crediting Rhee and late President Park Chung-hee with nation-building and economic growth. Progressive activists have slammed the curriculum as an attempt to sanitize authoritarian rule, urging university leaders to exercise strict oversight.

Responding to mounting pressure and potential security risks, Inha University officials rejected the permit request for the statue committee's official launch ceremony. Nevertheless, administration representatives confirmed that a separate workshop would be permitted to proceed, provided that organizers strictly adhere to pre-approved guidelines.

"We have instructed the organizers to operate strictly within the boundaries of their initial application," a university official said. "Any escalation into physical conflict or safety hazards will result in an immediate shutdown of the event."

[ⓒ Global Economic Times. 무단전재-재배포 금지]