At the Confirmation Hearing, "My Personal Conviction Is Clear"
Park Min-sik, nominee for Minister of Patriots and Veterans Affairs, announced that he will propose to President Yoon Seok-yeol to include the spirit of the May 18 Gwangju Democratization Movement in the preamble of the Constitution. President Yoon pledged to include the 'May 18 Spirit in the Constitutional Preamble' during his presidential campaign and emphasized its inheritance at this year’s commemoration ceremony, stating, "The spirit of May is the very spirit of the liberal democratic Constitution."
At the parliamentary confirmation hearing on the 22nd, Park said in response to a related request from Democratic Party lawmaker So Byung-chul, "I will definitely propose it."
Also, on the 22nd, Park Min-sik expressed his firm personal opinion regarding the construction project of the Rhee Syngman Presidential Memorial Hall. The Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs recently internally drafted a mid-term plan for the memorial hall construction, estimating that it would cost about 46 billion won over three years. It is reported that the ministry has begun preliminary investigations for site selection in cooperation with the Seoul Metropolitan Government.
When asked by Progressive Party lawmaker Kang Sung-hee whether a memorial hall for former President Chun Doo-hwan is necessary, Park bluntly replied, "It is not worth discussing," adding, "Former President Chun Doo-hwan is not entitled to former president honors under current law." When Kang pointed out, "I believe Chun Doo-hwan and Rhee Syngman are no different. It is unacceptable to commemorate the ringleader of a rebellion in a democratic republic," Park countered, "Our perceptions are completely different on that matter. It is difficult to accept the view that President Rhee Syngman was the ringleader of the crime of rebellion and murder."
Additionally, in response to a question from People Power Party lawmaker Kim Hee-gon about whether President Rhee Syngman, General Paik Sun-yup, and patriot Kim Won-bong are subjects of honors by the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs, Park answered that only Kim Won-bong is excluded. Yak-san Kim Won-bong organized the independence movement groups Uiyeoldan and the Joseon Volunteer Army to resist Japanese colonial rule, but according to the ministry’s regulations excluding those who contributed to the establishment of the North Korean regime after liberation from receiving honors, he is not eligible for awards. In 2019, there was also a controversy over awarding honors to Kim Won-bong.
Meanwhile, in response to People Power Party lawmaker Yoon Joo-kyung’s suggestion that an independent Veterans Affairs Secretary position is needed in the Presidential Office, Park said, "That is absolutely right," adding, "Since the scope of veterans affairs includes independence, national defense, democratization, and more, an independent Veterans Affairs Secretary is necessary to handle all these areas."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
