Where Is the Gun That Shot [the late S. Korean President] Park Chung-hee?

The Chosun Ilbo ^ | February 3, 2009 | Yoo Jong-pil, chief librarian at the National Assembly Library.

[2ndDivisionVet]

I received an e-mail from Sun-ae Evans, a Korean staff member at the Smithsonian who had been my guide during a visit to U.S. libraries and other institutions. "With the Smithsonian extremely busy in preparation for the Lincoln bicentennial, I came to think about Korea. The gun that was used to assassinate president Park Chung-hee, the clothes he wore that day, the bottles of liquor and glasses, and the other miscellaneous items -- are they being well preserved?" What we safeguard now can become important in the way the items related to Lincoln have. Korea is changing very quickly, and it is regrettable that so many important things are disappearing due to indifference. It is already the 30th anniversary of that October day. Are those items still being preserved? Where are they? Are they in good condition? How did the investigators treat them well? Or did they just view them as item numbers 1, 2, and 3 to be used as evidence? The concerns are overwhelming. If anything ever existed in any condition, shouldn't we keep it as part of our legacy and exhibit it this year?

With their short history, Americans have a very strong awareness that today is tomorrow's history. They do not concern themselves about having no relics dating back 1,000 years but collect small everyday items and exhibit them. Take, for example, the Smithsonian, which collects seemingly banal items such as walking shoes, firearms, uniforms, badges, and medals from the Civil War era and puts them on display. A 10-m U.S. flag that flew victoriously after bombardment by the British underwent an eight-year, W20 billion (US$1=W1,390) restoration project involving the participation of scientists in the conservation before it was recently put on public display.

Staff members of presidential libraries scattered around the U.S. ferret out items. At the Kennedy Library in Boston, there is a replica of the Oval Office containing, among other belongings, a replica of Kennedy's desk. Accessories presented to Jacqueline by foreign nations show the power of the U.S. during those times as well as the couple's global popularity. A pink dress designed and presented by Givenchy at the time of the Mona Lisa exhibition, when Jackie was accompanied by the French minister of culture Andre Malraux, reminds us of the transience of time and the gravity of history.

Displayed at the National Archives is the initial draft of the Declaration of Independence and the Magna Carta in good condition, and the Library of Congress contains priceless articles such as a Gutenberg Bible and the Lincoln Bible, upon which Presidents Lincoln and Barack Obama placed their hands at their inaugurations.

The Newseum, which opened last year, has a wide variety of collections related to newspapers and journalism. As a reporter, I found the bullet-riddled press car to be particularly impressive. A large wall open to three levels of the gallery features front pages of newspapers around the world reporting the 9-11 attack. Among the 200 newspapers on the wall, the Chosun Ilbo is the only Korean daily.

For Lincoln's bicentenary, the initial draft of the famous Gettysburg Address and a violet velvet dress that once belonged to first lady Mary Todd will be displayed (they were undergoing restoration when I visited).

The Smithsonian's pop culture curator pays frequent visits to Hollywood to collect accessories, costumes, shoes, and hats worn by the stars. The institution¡¯s medical curator is said to collect even diapers. Americans truly are masters at recording, collecting, preserving, and exhibiting.

We boast a history of nearly 5,000 years. It is regrettable that we do not take care to preserve our cultural artifacts, items that could be priceless tomorrow. Somebody must take action before it is too late, and that somebody must be, of course, the nation itself.

[2ndDivisionVet]

I was on duty that fateful night in the bunker at I Corps G-2 at Camp Red Cloud in Uijongbu. My Korean counterparts started getting very excited a few hours into the shift and pulled out transistor radios to find out what was going on. We all assumed that the North Koreans had attacked the Blue House (presidential palace) amd killed their president. Later, we found out that it was the Korean's version of their CIA director that had assassinated his boss. Very exciting few days...