Do Je-hae edits news stories as part of the AI team.
Memorial for provisional gov't to promote balanced views on national history
In the left photo, President Moon Jae-in, second from left, and first lady Kim Jung-sook, center, take a group photo at the provisional government's headquarters in Chongqing, China, during a state visit to the country in December 2017. It was the first time for a sitting president to visit the site. In the right, Kim Koo, center in the front row, and other members of the provisional government take a group photo at the Chongqing complex on Nov. 3, 1945 before heading back to Korea on Nov. 23. / Korea Times file
By Do Je-hae
By Do Je-hae
This is a landmark year for the government-in-exile founded during the 1910-1945 Japanese colonial rule, which was mostly based in China.
To mark the 101st anniversary of the provisional government, President Moon Jae-in took part in a groundbreaking ceremony April 11 for a memorial hall to remember its role in leading the independence movement.
President Moon has shown more enthusiasm than any other Korean leader in recent decades toward honoring the provisional government, which undertook administrative, diplomatic and military activities to gain independence.
He was the first President to visit the provisional government complex in Chongqing, China, during a state visit to the country in December 2017. The provisional government moved around various cities such as Shanghai, Hangzhou and Guangzhou among others before settling in Chongqing in 1940. The last three years of the provisional government from 1945 through 1948 were based in Seoul.
“During the visit to the Chongqing complex for the first time as sitting President, I made a promise to build a memorial hall for the provisional government,” Moon said during the groundbreaking ceremony at Seodaemun Independence Park in central Seoul where many Korean prisoners died in their fight against Japanese colonial rule.
Lee Jong-chan, left, head of a committee in charge of building the memorial hall, gives a briefing to President Moon Jae-in during a groundbreaking ceremony for the provisional government on April 11 in Seodaemun, Seoul. Yonhap
“For 27 years, the provisional government was behind the movement and achieved independence and freedom, leading to today's Republic of Korea.
“The reason we are building the memorial is to keep the spirit of the provisional government at our side. Through perseverance, dedication, solidarity and cooperation, the provisional government provided a solid foundation for our nation to be reborn as a democratic republic.”
The government is planning to open the memorial near Seodaemun Park in 2021. When completed, it is expected to serve as a venue to introduce the achievements of the independence movement within and outside Korea. It will enable the general public, scholars and visitors from around the world to learn more about the nation's independence fighters and pioneering politicians such as Kim Koo, a revered independence activist and one of the presidents of the provisional government.
Controversies surrounding provisional government
Building a memorial hall for the provisional government was one of Moon's election pledges. But his passion for honoring the government has not been viewed in a positive light among some historians and politicians because of lingering controversies surrounding its role and some of its key figures.
First, the provisional government has been at the center of a debate about nation founding.
Moon has said that he views the interim government as the root of the current Korea. “We see the establishment of the provisional government as the start of nation founding," Moon said during the visit to the Chongqing provisional government building. “The provisional government is the root of the Republic of Korea. The Constitution of the Republic of Korea states that the nation inherits the legal traditions of the provisional government.”
Moon's remarks support the view held by some historians that April 13, 1919, the founding date of the provisional government, is the start of “nation founding.” But this has drawn a backlash from the conservative political bloc which has maintained that Aug. 15, 1948, the date of the establishment of the Korean government under Korea's first president, Syngman Rhee, is when the Republic of Korea was officially founded. Former conservative President Park Geun-hye said that the nation was founded on Aug. 15, 1948 during her Liberation Day speech in 2016.
Second, the actual contributions of the provisional government in achieving independence is still questioned by some historians who believe its role was limited as independence came as a consequence of the end of World War II, and not as result of the independence movement itself. As the provisional government was not recognized internationally, some also question its legitimacy.
The music sheet of the official song of the Korean Liberation Army/Courtesy of Cheong Wa Dae
Third, some figures have ignited controversy over political ideologies. Kim Won-bong, who served in the Korean Liberation Army and the provisional government, later defected to North Korea and became a prominent politician there. Conservatives have branded him a communist; and Moon ignited controversy when he publicly praised Kim in a Memorial Day speech in June 2019.
Balanced understanding of history
Despite these controversies, some activists like Lee Jong-chan, a former National Intelligence Service (NIS) chief, have continued to stress the need to properly educate the Korean public about the legacies of the provisional government as the nation's first modern administrative body.
The groundbreaking for the memorial hall is the result of many years of commitment particularly from Lee, who serves as the head of a committee for the establishment of the hall. The former NIS chief during the Kim Dae-jung administration comes from a family of independence fighters and has been leading a civic movement promoting commemorative activities for the provisional government. He also ran a memorial hall for his late grandfather Lee Hoe-young, who is considered to be one of the leading independence fighters.
The Korean Liberation Army was founded by the provisional government in Chongqing, China, in 1940. This photo shows the national flag with signatures from the members of the KLA from the Independence Hall of Korea. Courtesy of Cheong Wa Dae
Lee said he will pay attention to informing the public about various figures in the provisional government, not just the leaders such as former President Rhee, who was also the first president of the provisional government. “About 2,000 people participated in the provisional government. We will aim to create a space that treats all of them as heroes,” Lee said during the groundbreaking ceremony.
Above all, the memorial hall will be built as a place to promote national unity as well as a more balanced understanding of history, he said. “We are building a place for everyone, regardless of their political ideology or regional background,” Lee said.
Dokrip Sinmun, the mouthpiece of the provisional government, was founded on Aug. 21, 1919. The provisional government in Shanghai printed it in Chinese as well to spread the Korean independence movement to local readers. A photo from the National Institute of Korean History shows the front page of the first Chinese edition of the Dokrip Sinmun published on July 20, 1922. Korea Times file
March 1, 1919 National wide independence movement starts.
April 10, 1919 Provisional assembly founded in Shanghai.
April 11, 1919 Provisional government founded with the provisional charter of the Republic of Korea.
Aug. 21, 1919 Dokrip Sinmun, mouthpiece of the provisional government, published.
Sept. 11, 1919 Syngman Rhee assumes office as first president and stays on until March 21, 1925 before being impeached by the provisional assembly.
April 29, 1932 Assault on Japanese military leadership in Shanghai's Hongkou Park.
Sept. 17, 1940 Foundation of the Korean Liberation Army in Chongging, China.
Nov. 28, 1941 Proclamation of a roadmap for nation-building after liberation.
Dec. 8, 1941 Declaration of war on Japan
Aug. 15, 1945 Liberation from Japanese rule.
Nov. 23, 1945 Kim Koo and other members return Korea. His efforts to unify the divided peninsula were cut short after his assassination in 1949.