Lee Jong-chan Absent from Event for Descendants of Yoon Yu-gong
Lee “Kim Hyung-seok, Director of the Independence Hall of Korea, must step down
“Open the last door… Show your sincerity.”
Kim “There is no reason to leave other than firing the person who appointed me”
President Yoon Seok-yeol (center) is paying tribute to the martyrs at a luncheon for descendants of independence activists held at the Blue House guesthouse on the 14th. Heo Mi-mi (left of President Yoon), a fifth-generation descendant of independence activist Heo Seok and a silver medalist in judo for the national team at the 2024 Paris Olympics, also attended. Presidential Press Corps
As the conflict surrounding the appointment of Kim Hyung-seok as the director of the Independence Hall of Korea has not been resolved, the government-hosted Liberation Day celebration ceremony to be held on the 15th is likely to end up as a ‘half-baked’ event. The Gwangbokhoe, an organization of descendants of independence activists, some independence movement groups, and the opposition party including the Democratic Party of Korea have decided not to attend the celebration ceremony and hold a separate commemorative event if the government does not accept their demand for Director Kim’s resignation. Woo Won-sik, the Speaker of the National Assembly from the Democratic Party, has decided not to attend the government-hosted Liberation Day celebration ceremony on the 15th. It is unprecedented for a government-hosted celebration ceremony and separate commemorations by the opposition party and independence movement groups to be held on Liberation Day. There are concerns that the meaning of Liberation Day, which should be a day of national unity, will fade as it presents conflict and division.
● Yoon “We will do our best to treat those with merit and their descendants appropriately”
On the 14th, the day before Liberation Day, President Yoon Seok-yeol invited some 100 descendants of independence activists to a luncheon at the Blue House guest house and said, “I will do my best to ensure that the spirit of independence and legacy left behind by our independence heroes are remembered forever, and that the activists and their descendants are treated with due respect.” He continued, “I will never forget the will of our ancestors who protected and developed the value of freedom,” and added, “I will devote all my energy to building a Republic of Korea of freedom, peace, and prosperity.”
However, Lee Jong-chan, the president of the Gwangbokhoe, who was invited, did not attend. Last year, he attended as a guest of honor and shared his thoughts while sitting at the same table as President Yoon. President Yoon did not mention Lee’s absence or the controversy over National Foundation Day.
The event was attended by Binggrae Chairman Kim Ho-yeon, the grandson-in-law of Baekbeom Kim Gu, Lee Ok-bi, the only daughter of poet Lee Yuk-sa, and Heo Mimi, the fifth-generation descendant of independence activist the late Heo Seok and a silver medalist in judo for the national team at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
● Lee Jong-chan “Separate ceremony”, Kim Hyung-seok “No reason to step down”
Wild, visits Independence Hall and demands “withdrawal of director appointment”
Democratic Party lawmakers, including Rep. Kim Yong-man (left), the great-grandson of Kim Gu, are calling for the withdrawal of the appointment of Kim Hyung-seok, the director of the Independence Hall of Korea, at the Independence Hall of Korea in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province, on the 14th. They requested to view materials on the selection process, including the evaluation scores during Director Kim’s interview, but were refused. Reporter Byun Yeong-wook, [email protected]
In a phone call with the Dong-A Ilbo on the same day, Chairman Lee said, “The last door is open. I hope the government will show sincerity. If they just say they will do the wrong (Independence Hall of Korea director) appointment again, we will applaud,” but added, “Our position of not attending government-hosted events remains unchanged. Director Kim should decide to resign on his own.”
However, Director Kim held a press conference at the Independence Hall of Korea in Cheonan City, South Chungcheong Province, and said, “I have no reason to step down since I received my appointment from the government and promised to faithfully perform my duties as director.” In a phone call with the Dong-A Ilbo earlier, he said, “If the president, who has the power to appoint, fires me, there’s nothing I can do, but I can’t even imagine or predict that something like that will happen.” He added, “No one else would make such a request of me, and even if they did, I would absolutely not comply.”
As the ‘half-Liberation Day’ is becoming more visible, the Blue House plans to persuade Chairman Lee until the last minute to attend the government-hosted event. However, it has been reported that they will not accept the withdrawal of Director Kim’s appointment as there are no grounds for disqualification or problems in the screening process. A high-ranking Blue House official said, “There has been no change in the situation as of now, but we will do our best until the morning of the 15th,” and “We are trying our best to resolve any misunderstandings about the National Foundation Day promotion, and we will focus on persuading Chairman Lee in all directions to resolve the conflict.”
● Government ‘separately’, independence movement groups and opposition ‘separately’
The 37 independence movement groups, including the Gwangbokhoe, have decided that unless Director Kim, a “New Right” figure who supports Japanese colonial rule, resigns, they will boycott the celebration and hold their own memorial ceremony at the Baekbeom Memorial Hall in Hyochang Park, Yongsan-gu, Seoul on the morning of the 15th. It has been reported that Chairman Lee will criticize the pro-Japanese biased policy of the Yoon Seok-yeol government in his commemorative speech. Separately, the Anti-Japanese Independence Martyrs’ Promotion Organization Coalition (Hangdanyeon), which consists of 25 independence movement promotion groups, will hold a Liberation Day ceremony at the Samnyeosa Cemetery in Hyochang Park on the afternoon of the 15th, together with civic groups such as the Institute for Research in Collaborationist Activities.
The Democratic Party also plans to boycott government events and attend a ceremony hosted by the Liberation Association to issue a statement condemning the government. At the party’s Supreme Council meeting that day, Park Chan-dae, acting party leader and floor leader, said, “The Yoon Seok-yeol administration is the worst pro-Japanese, treasonous regime in the history of the Republic of Korea that has virtually entered a stage of spiritual unity between Korea and Japan,” and demanded Director Kim’s resignation.
Reporter Hwang Hyeong-jun [email protected]
Military expert reporter Yoon Sang-ho [email protected]
Reporter Seungwoo Lee [email protected]
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2024-08-14 17:15:45