[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] Former Deputy Prime Minister Kim Dong-yeon, who is mentioned as a presidential candidate, commemorated independence activist Kim Sang-ok on Liberation Day. Kim said, "People like Kim Sang-ok, who achieved liberation, represent the effort to solve the structural problems of our society and to create a country that others envy, not just a wealthy country."
On that day, Kim visited Marronnier Park in Jongno-gu, Seoul, where the statue of Kim Sang-ok stands. After the visit, he posted on social media (SNS), "(Kim Sang-ok) threw bombs at the Jongno Police Station, a symbol of terror during the Japanese colonial period, and fought a solo street battle against 1,000 armed military police, ultimately committing suicide with his last bullet." He introduced, "At the age of thirty-three when he died, he had a hand-painted Taegeukgi in his arms and eleven bullets lodged in his body. The last, the eleventh bullet, was self-inflicted to his head."
He added, "He was also the figure who inspired the Hawaii Pistol in the movie ‘Assassination,’ who engaged in a gunfight with twin pistols, and Kim Sang-ok, who fought hundreds of Japanese police while moving across rooftops in the movie ‘The Age of Shadows.’"
Kim Dong-yeon said, "In our history, it was not the privileged class but ordinary people like Kim Sang-ok who saved the Republic of Korea in times of crisis." He continued, "He lost his father at twelve, worked hard in a blacksmith’s shop, and was a young man running a business. I thought there was a meaning in the fact that Kim Sang-ok’s statue is not in a glamorous place but on an ordinary path where common people pass by."
He said, "I reflect on the tasks we face today," and asserted, "People like Kim Sang-ok who achieved liberation must solve the structural problems of our society and create a country that others envy, not just a wealthy country. We must break the ‘winner-takes-all structure’ that is the root of the problem in our society." He added, "We need to create more opportunities, more equitable opportunities to revive economic dynamism and solve polarization issues," and concluded, "On Liberation Day, I reaffirm my determination to face these challenges of our era head-on."
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