[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] The prosecution has concluded no charges against Kim Won-woong, president of the Liberation Association, who was accused by the bereaved family of defaming the late Ahn Eak-tai (1906?1965), the composer of the national anthem, by raising suspicions of his pro-Japanese activities.
According to the legal community on the 26th, the Criminal Division 6 of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office (Chief Prosecutor Kang Beom-gu) decided not to prosecute Kim, who was accused of defamation of the deceased in September, due to insufficient evidence.
Last year on August 15, during the 75th Liberation Day celebration, President Kim claimed, "The Liberation Association obtained materials related to Ahn Eak-tai's pro-Japanese and pro-Nazi activities from the German government. Among them is a video of Ahn conducting a concert celebrating the 10th anniversary of the founding of Manchukuo in Berlin."
He further stated in broadcasts and National Assembly press conferences that "Ahn Eak-tai engaged in pro-Japanese and pro-Nazi activities through music and was responsible for Japanese espionage in Berlin," "He plagiarized Bulgarian folk songs to compose the national anthem," and "'Korea Fantasy' is a self-plagiarism of 'Manchukuo' and others."
In response, Ahn Gyeong-yong (American name David Ahn), the late Ahn Eak-tai's grandnephew, filed a lawsuit against President Kim in November last year. The Jungbu Police Station in Seoul decided not to prosecute in April due to insufficient evidence, but Ahn's side appealed this decision and requested the prosecution to take over the case.
However, the prosecution reached the same conclusion as the police on September 16. They considered that Ahn Eak-tai conducted the piece "Manchukuo," which he composed, at the 10th anniversary concert of Manchukuo's founding; that the national anthem's melody development is similar to the Bulgarian folk song "Oh Dobruja Land," with a 58?72% match in note occurrence; and that academic circles also claim that "Korea Fantasy" is self-plagiarism of "Manchukuo," "Kyokuto" (Far East), and others.
Ahn's side appealed the prosecution's non-prosecution decision to the Seoul High Prosecutors' Office on the 22nd of last month. They urged the Seoul High Prosecutors' Office to order a reinvestigation, stating, "The prosecution, like the police, did not review the credibility of the materials submitted by President Kim's side before deciding not to prosecute."
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