Presidential Office: "No Plan to Establish National Foundation Day"... Independence Hall Director Explains Opposition to Establishment

Kim Hyung-seok Refutes New Right Controversy: "No"

The Presidential Office reiterated on the 12th that the government has no intention or plan to establish a National Foundation Day. Although there was some misunderstanding regarding the establishment of National Foundation Day within the Gwangbokhoe, it is currently in the process of being resolved and is expected to be settled well.

According to the Presidential Office, the founding of our country is a process that began with the March 1st Movement and the establishment of the Provisional Government in 1919, followed by the establishment of the government in 1948, and continued through industrialization and democratization, making it impossible to designate a specific point in time.

President Yoon Suk-yeol has stated this several times in his March 1st commemorative speeches and August 15th events, explaining that based on the Constitution, which states "The territory of the Republic of Korea shall consist of the Korean Peninsula and its adjacent islands," the date of unification would be considered the founding day.

Earlier, some independence movement-related organizations, including Gwangbokhoe, opposed the appointment of Kim Hyung-seok as director of the Independence Hall and announced their intention to boycott the government-hosted Liberation Day ceremony. These groups viewed that Kim supported the 1948 founding theory, which is mainly advocated by New Right scholars.

As the controversy intensified, Director Kim directly stated his position on the establishment of National Foundation Day commemorating the 1948 government founding. At a press conference held at the Yongsan Seoul Veterans Affairs Office that afternoon, Kim said, "I am not a New Right who disparages independence activists and defends colonial rule during the Japanese occupation," and added, "I oppose the establishment of National Foundation Day." He emphasized that liberation in 1945 is more important than the establishment of the government in 1948.

He continued by quoting the claim of Professor Emeritus Shin Yong-ha of Seoul National University, "'The founding of the Republic of Korea began with the establishment of the Provisional Government in 1919 and was completed with the establishment of the government in 1948,'" adding, "My view is exactly the same as this claim."

Kim Hyung-seok, Director of the Independence Hall, is holding a press conference on the 12th at the Seoul Regional Veterans Office regarding the controversy over New Right tendencies.
[Image source=Yonhap News]