Park Sun-young Appointed as New Chairperson of Truth and Reconciliation Commission
On 'Yoon's Appointment Unfair' Question, Says "Just a Controversy"
During Martial Law, Also Said "Let's Clean Up a Bit and Live"
Following the emergency martial law situation, Park Sun-young, the chairman of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission for Past Affairs (Truth and Reconciliation Commission) appointed by President Yoon Suk-yeol, stated that "the president of the Republic of Korea is Yoon Suk-yeol."
On the 10th, Chairman Park posted on her social media account, "Now that the impeachment has been rejected, the president of the Republic of Korea is Yoon Suk-yeol."
Park Sun-young, the newly appointed chairperson of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission for Past Affairs (Truth and Reconciliation Commission), salutes the national flag during her inauguration ceremony held at the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in Jung-gu, Seoul, on the morning of the 10th. Photo by Yonhap News
On the same day, Chairman Park held the inauguration ceremony as the 3rd new chairman at the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in Jung-gu, Seoul, and officially began her duties, stating, "I feel a heavy responsibility and burden on my shoulders and heart during this grave time both domestically and internationally." She continued, "I pledge to lead the commission so that the Republic of Korea can move toward a more just and harmonious future," adding, "I will strive to operate the commission efficiently and fairly from a balanced perspective. We will strengthen communication and restore public trust to beautifully conclude our work by November next year and open a new chapter." When asked about the controversy that President Yoon's appointment of the chairman was inappropriate, she responded, "Isn't it just controversy?"
On the same day, the National Solidarity for Victims of State Violence held a press conference before Chairman Park's inauguration ceremony, criticizing, "There should be no appointment of a figure who defended Yoon Suk-yeol's unconstitutional rebellion acts to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which should reveal the truth about the illegal exercise of power by the dictatorship regime." They also held a rally and attempted to block Chairman Park's arrival at work but were stopped by the police.
Earlier, on the 3rd, after the declaration of martial law, Chairman Park posted on SNS, "In the Republic of Korea where those who disrupt the national flag run rampant, let's clean up a bit and live." In May of last year, through a YouTube video, she referred to the May 16 military coup, claiming, "At that time, all citizens, without exception, thought that things had to change. Even when the revolution occurred, there was not a single citizen who opposed it, said no, or blocked it." She also said about former President Park Chung-hee, "The important thing is why (the Yushin regime) was done."
Meanwhile, Chairman Park graduated from Ewha Womans University with a degree in law and joined MBC as an announcer in 1977. A year later, she changed her profession and worked as a reporter for 12 years, hosting a program called "Economy Full of Baskets." After resigning in 1989, she earned a master's degree in law from Ewha Womans University and a doctorate in law from Seoul National University. She later served as a professor in the Department of Law at Dongguk University and was a proportional representative member of the 18th National Assembly for the Liberty Forward Party, serving on the Foreign Affairs, Trade and Unification Committee, the Women and Family Committee, and the Special Committee for the Protection of Dokdo Territory. She ran for the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education in 2018 and 2022 and recently served as the chairperson of the nonprofit organization Mulmangcho.
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