[Reporter’s Notebook] A Divided Liberation Day... The Need for a Nuanced Perspective

"I earnestly plead that you do not seek the cause of division and confrontation in history."

These were the words spoken by Lee Jong-chan, Chairman of the Gwangbokhoe, pausing carefully between phrases on the 15th. His words were met with quiet applause among the members of the Gwangbokhoe. The Gwangbokhoe did not attend the government-hosted 79th Liberation Day celebration held at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts, instead holding their own event at the Baekbeom Kim Gu Memorial Hall. This was the first time in the 59 years since the Gwangbokhoe was established. The National Assembly was also divided. The People Power Party and the Reform New Party attended the government ceremony, while the Democratic Party, the Party for Justice and Innovation, the Basic Income Party, and the Social Democratic Party attended the Gwangbokhoe event. The Progressive Party held a separate ceremony with civil society groups, and the New Future Party did not attend any event, each acting independently.

The event hosted by the Gwangbokhoe that day was crowded with opposition party figures. Especially, Democratic Party lawmakers, with their party leadership election imminent, were more lively. Lee Jae-myung, a candidate for party leader, sent a wreath inscribed with "Celebrating the 79th Liberation Day," and Kim Du-kwan, another candidate, shook hands with guests from a central seat. Lawmakers Kim Min-seok, Kang Seon-woo, and Han Jun-ho, all candidates for Supreme Council member, were busy exchanging greetings and taking photos. Although candidates usually do not skip events during elections, even the Liberation Day event became a promotional venue for "Please elect me."

The Gwangbokhoe’s refusal to participate in the government event was ostensibly due to the appointment of Kim Hyung-seok as the new director of the Independence Hall. However, underlying this was anxiety about the establishment of a Founding Day. Chairman Lee expressed concern about the creation of a Founding Day centered on former President Rhee Syngman at a place honoring Kim Gu. He emphasized, "For whom and for what is the Founding Day?" and said, "The only thing gained by establishing a Founding Day is crowning the first President Rhee Syngman as the 'Father of the Nation'." Despite explanations from Director Kim himself and mediation by the Presidential Office asserting "there is no plan to establish a Founding Day," Chairman Lee’s unease seemed to persist.

Listening to President Yoon Seok-yeol’s Liberation Day speech at the same time, one can understand Chairman Lee’s concerns. His worry about the Founding Day is not only about "erasing Kim Gu" but also about the shadow that the demand for accountability during the Japanese colonial period might fade. On that day, President Yoon mentioned "free reunification" but did not call for the Japanese government’s reflection or apology regarding the Japanese colonial period. Saying, "Neither the imperialist powers’ infringement of national sovereignty, nor division, nor war, nor anything else could stop our vigorous advance toward freedom," was a phrase that glossed over the national pain caused by Japan’s infringement of sovereignty. Why does the government repeatedly face pro-Japanese controversies? Can the Gwangbokhoe, which led the unprecedented situation of a "divided Liberation Day," confidently claim it did not provide a pretext for division?

It is time to move beyond the false equivalence of two wrongs and adopt a more nuanced perspective. Liberation Day commemorates August 15, 1945, when Korea was freed from Japanese imperialism, and August 15, 1948, when the Republic of Korea government, succeeding the Provisional Government established in 1919, was founded. Setting aside all other merits and faults, both Baekbeom Kim Gu and the first President Rhee Syngman should be respected for their roles and responsibilities in the founding. As President Yoon stated, division is an unfinished liberation. While continuing efforts to address the historical legacy of the Japanese colonial period, we must also acknowledge the historical context that made it inevitable for the government to be established solely in South Korea. Only by overcoming all of this can we move forward toward a unified Korea.