Korea likely to hold split Liberation Day events amid Independence Hall head controversy

Aug 13, 2024, 10:18 am

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A lot of reporters flock to a press conference held by Kim Hyung-seok, new director of the Independence Hall of Korea, in Seoul on Aug. 12, 2024. Kim has been called for the withdrawal of his appointment by descendants of independence activists. Kim has come under fire for his alleged pro-Japanese stance justifying Japan’s colonization of Korea. / Photographed by Park Sung-il

AsiaToday reporter Chun Hyun-bin

Opposition parties and civic groups, including those comprising of descendants of independence activists, have declared to boycott the government-led Aug. 15 Liberation Day event slated for Thursday, in protest of the appointment of the new head of the Independence Hall of Korea. In this regard, critics say that confusion on the establishment of 1948 as the official founding year of Korea is being repeated.

When President Yoon Suk-yeol appointed Kim Hyung-seok, a chair professor of history education at Kosin University, as the new head of the Independence Hall of Korea, groups representing the nation’s independence fighters and their descendants, including the Heritage of Korean Independence (HKI), declared to boycott this year’s Liberation Day event.

The controversy over the appointment of the Independence Hall head is expanding into a political debate between the ruling and opposition parties as even large opposition bloc, including the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) as well as the Rebuilding Korea Party and the Justice Party, also decided to boycott the event. The DP described Kim as a “far-right New Right figure,” calling Yoon to withdraw Kim from his post and an apology to the public on Monday.

The DP has decided not to attend the upcoming Liberation Day ceremony unless Yoon retracts the appointment. The party is considering attending a separate ceremony prepared by HKI and other groups in protest of Yoon’s appointment of Kim as the new director of the Independence Hall of Korea. Cho Kuk, the leader of the Rebuilding Korea Party, also criticized the appointment, slamming that Yoon’s appointment is like appointing Chun Doo-hwan as the head of the May 18 Gwangju Democratization Movement Hall.

Amid criticism, Kim refuted allegations that he upholds a New Right perspective. “I have never justified Japanese colonial rule,” Kim said during a press conference in Seoul on Monday. However, independence activist groups and opposition parties are said to remain unchanged.

#Liberation Day #South Korea #Heritage of Korean Independence #Kim Hyung-seok #Independence Hall of Korea