Repeated Historical View Disputes at the National Audit... Shouting Marks the Demand for Exit

Education Committee Expected to Focus Questions on New Right Personnel
Issues Including Rhee Syngman Memorial Hall and History Textbooks Pile Up

In the National Assembly's audit, which has been underway for nearly a week, disputes over historical perspectives are recurring. The opposition party repeatedly raises questions related to historical awareness, while the ruling party insists on focusing on current issues. It is expected that the ruling and opposition parties will clash over the memorial hall for former President Syngman Rhee and history textbooks in future audits as well.

On the afternoon of the 10th, during the resumed National Assembly Environment and Labor Committee's audit of the Ministry of Employment and Labor, controversy continued over Minister Kim Moon-soo's confirmation hearing remark that "the nationality of ancestors during the Japanese colonial period was Japanese." When Ahn Ho-young, a committee member from the Democratic Party, called for Minister Kim's removal, lawmakers from both ruling and opposition parties engaged in a heated argument.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the 11th, the National Assembly's Education Committee conducted an audit at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, targeting public institutions under the Ministry of Education that research history, such as the Northeast Asian History Foundation and the Academy of Korean Studies. The opposition party evaluates Park Ji-hyang, chairperson of the Northeast Asian History Foundation, and Kim Nak-nyeon, president of the Academy of Korean Studies, as figures with New Right historical perspectives. Chairperson Park was criticized for advocating colonial modernization theory in her 2016 paper, "Current Status and Tasks of Colonialism and Postcolonialism Studies." President Kim is also a co-author of the controversial New Right book "Anti-Japan Tribalism." The opposition is expected to focus their questioning on the historical views of these two figures.

The ruling and opposition parties clashed over Minister of Employment and Labor Kim Moon-soo's historical perspective at the National Assembly's Environment and Labor Committee the day before. Opposition lawmakers immediately raised concerns about Minister Kim's historical views and demanded an apology as the audit began. When Minister Kim continued to assert during the audit that the ancestors' nationality during the Japanese colonial period was Japanese, voices between the ruling and opposition parties grew heated. The opposition demanded Minister Kim's removal, but the ruling party opposed addressing historical perspectives during the audit. Minister Kim also resisted, asking, "Please tell me the reason why I should leave." Ultimately, the Environment and Labor Committee recessed after only addressing Minister Kim's historical awareness issue.

Historical debates are expected to be inevitable in upcoming audits as well. On the 22nd, the Political Affairs Committee will conduct an audit of the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs. Since last year, the Ministry has been promoting a memorial hall for former President Syngman Rhee. The Democratic Party of Korea views the Yoon Seok-yeol administration as having begun efforts to glorify the former president. On the 29th of last month, Democratic Party spokesperson Kang Yoo-jung criticized, "(The Yoon government) suddenly plans to spend 24.5 billion won to build a dedicated memorial hall for Syngman Rhee, the 'domestic national independence movement' hero, right in the heart of Jongno, Seoul," adding, "They intend to build a New Right idol Syngman Rhee praise memorial hall in the middle of Jongno."

The New Right controversy is also expected to be repeated in the comprehensive audit of the Education Committee on the 24th. The Education Committee already conducted an audit on the 8th targeting the Ministry of Education and its affiliated institutions, questioning representatives of publishers who released high school Korean history textbooks accused of having a 'right-leaning' bias, including Kim Soo-gi, CEO of the Korea Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation. The ruling and opposition parties clashed over the use of the term "Japanese advance" in the textbooks. When Education Committee Chair Kim Young-ho pointed out that the term "advance" should not be used instead of "invasion," People Power Party lawmaker Jeong Seong-guk countered that the same term is used in other textbooks as well.