Korea likely to hold separate Liberation Day events amid Independence Hall head controversy
A banner commemorating the upcoming Aug. 15 Liberation Day is displayed at Seoul City Hall, Monday. Yonhap
Korea could end up seeing two separate Aug. 15 Liberation Day events held this week as tensions rise over the appointment of Kim Hyoung-suk as the new head of the Independence Hall of Korea. Kim has come under fire for his alleged pro-Japanese stance justifying Japan's colonization of Korea (1910-45).
Opposition parties and civic groups, including those comprising descendants of independence fighters, are considering boycotting the government-led ceremony slated for Thursday, unless President Yoon Suk Yeol dismisses Kim.
They are planning to hold a separate ceremony, which, if held, would mark an unprecedented split in the decades-long commemoration of Korea’s liberation from Japanese colonial rule.
The main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) renewed its call on Yoon to withdraw Kim from his post, Monday.
"In his inaugural address, Kim stated that he would 'take the lead in restoring the honor of those labeled as pro-Japanese collaborators.' Appointing such a person as the director of the Independence Hall of Korea is an outrageous act that shakes the very foundation of our national identity and denies our history," DPK floor leader Rep. Park Chan-dae said during a party meeting.
The DPK vowed to boycott the upcoming Liberation Day ceremony unless Yoon retracts the appointment. Minor opposition parties, including the Rebuilding Korea Party and the Jinbo Party, also announced plans to boycott the ceremony.
Kim took office last Thursday as the chief of the Independence Hall of Korea, a national museum dedicated to the country's independence movement.
His appointment immediately came under scrutiny from the Heritage of Korean Independence (HKI), a state-funded association of independence fighters, which argued that Kim's appointment reflects the Yoon administration's flawed understanding of history.
Lee Jong-chan, left, head of the Heritage of Korean Independence, and National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik speak to reporters ahead of a meeting at the Assembly in Seoul, Monday. Joint Press Corps
The HKI stated that appointing Kim could potentially lead to the establishment of 1948 as the official founding year of Korea, a view primarily held by some conservative scholars.
"If the government does not officially state that it will not pursue recognizing 1948 as the founding year of Korea, we will not attend the government’s Liberation Day event," the HKI said, Sunday. It added that together with other independence activist-related groups, it will hold a separate ceremony at Kim Gu Museum and Library.
Lee Jong-chan, head of the HKI and grandson of independence activist Lee Hoe-yeong, met with National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik, Monday, and expressed such concerns.
It is the first time since its founding in 1965 that the HKI has announced it will skip the commemorative ceremony.
Conservative politicians and scholars support the notion that Korea's founding year is 1948, when the internationally recognized government under inaugural President Syngman Rhee was established. This stance has been primarily upheld by the New Right, a group of right-wing conservative historians who recognize Japan’s colonial rule as the source of Korea's modernization and enlightenment. This view contrasts with the perspective held mainly by liberal scholars and politicians, who argue that the founding year should be 1919, when the Provisional Government was established by independence activists in Shanghai to oppose Japanese colonial rule.
During a lecture in December 2023, Kim stated that the Korean government was officially established on Aug. 15, 1948. On his first day in office, Kim said he would work toward restoring the reputation of some pro-Japanese collaborators whom he believes were wrongfully accused of being traitors.
Kim Hyoung-suk, new president of the Independence Hall of Korea, attends a press conference in Seoul, Monday. Yonhap
Amid mounting criticism, Kim refuted allegations that he upholds a New Right perspective, calling them false, and refused to step down.
"I have never downplayed the independence movement or disparaged any specific independence activist. Through numerous lectures and hundreds of writings, I have been at the forefront of promoting the spirit of independence," he said during a press conference in Seoul, also on Monday.
Kim told reporters that Korea's foundation started in 1919 with the establishment of the Provisional Government in Shanghai and was completed in 1948 with the establishment of the (Syngman Rhee) government. He added that he has never justified Japanese colonial rule.
"If my argument is wrong, it should be criticized academically. However, instead of doing so, they are waging a witch hunt," he said. "As the head of the Independence Hall, I will focus on pursuing national unity by promoting the spirit of independence."