"Not Something to Hide or Be Ashamed Of"
"Inheriting the Spirit, Not the Violence"
"Plainclothes Police Fulfilling Their Duty Cannot Be Criticized"
On the 9th, Kim Min-jeon, a member of the People Power Party, led a press conference at the National Assembly Communication Office in Yeouido, Seoul, introducing the Anti-Communist Youth Group. YouTube channel 'KNN NEWS'
The so-called 'Baekgoldan' (Anti-Communist Youth Corps), which vowed to prevent the arrest of President Yoon Suk-yeol, has stated that it will not change its controversial name.
On the 13th, Kim Jeong-hyun, head of the Anti-Communist Youth Corps, announced in a statement, "After much deliberation, we have tentatively decided to continue activities under the name Baekgoldan, a subordinate organization of the Anti-Communist Youth Corps." Kim explained, "The leadership of the Anti-Communist Youth Corps (Baekgoldan) concluded that the spirit of Baekgol is something to be proud of and inherited, not something to hide or be ashamed of. We clearly state that what we intend to inherit is the spirit of Baekgol, not the violence of Baekgoldan."
He continued, "The name Baekgoldan first appeared in 1952. It emerged during the conflict between the parliamentary cabinet system faction, which believed the president should be elected by the National Assembly, and the presidential direct election amendment faction, which argued that the president should be elected directly by the people. President Syngman Rhee declared martial law in opposition to the parliamentary cabinet system faction that opposed the current national referendum system (presidential direct election). This incident, known as the 'Busan Political Incident,' was an inevitable measure to transfer sovereignty of the Republic of Korea from the National Assembly to the people," he claimed.
He added, "The 'Baekgoldan' of the 1980s and 1990s, which some media outlets criticize, was not an official name but a label given by university students leading violent protests to plainclothes police arrest squads. While the violence of the so-called 'Baekgoldan' during the military regime should be avoided, I believe we cannot overlook or criticize the plainclothes police who had the duty to guide students immersed in socialist revolutionary movements and protect citizens from violent protesters," he said.
On the afternoon of the 10th, at the National Assembly Communication Office in Yeouido, Seoul, bereaved families of Baekgoldan victims, including the Gang Gyeong-dae Martyrs Memorial Project Association, held a press conference urging Assemblyman Kim Min-jeon to resign and apologize. Photo by Yonhap News
The Anti-Communist Youth Corps, which held a rally to defend President Yoon’s residence, became embroiled in controversy after holding a press conference at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, on the 9th. Baekgoldan was a plainclothes police riot squad that suppressed democratization movements in the 1980s and 1990s, notorious for its violent and ruthless methods of quelling protests. Kim Min-jeon, a member of the People Power Party who led the press conference, announced the withdrawal of the event amid ongoing controversy.
The following day, six opposition parties including the Democratic Party jointly submitted a resolution urging Kim’s expulsion. Park Seong-jun, the Democratic Party’s floor deputy leader, said, "The Anti-Communist Youth Corps was an anti-communist organization during the Cold War era of the 1950s and 1960s and is a relic of history, and Baekgoldan was the name of judicial police trampling human rights under the Chun Doo-hwan regime in the 1980s. Saying 'I will cancel the conference' or 'I didn’t know well' is itself an irresponsible attitude as a lawmaker. It is an action that proves he cannot work as a member of the National Assembly," he sharply criticized.
Meanwhile, despite such criticism, on the 12th, Kim Jeong-hyun posted on social media, "If you look into why Baekgoldan appeared amid the controversy, there will be some parts that are somewhat understandable," and added, "It was not Kim Min-jeon who brought Baekgoldan to the National Assembly, but the Democratic Party, which drove the Republic of Korea into a national emergency." He also said, "Baekgoldan is known among university students who participated in the democratization movement as a notorious police organization, but it cannot be denied that it was an organization necessary for social stability," and added, "I feel that the name Baekgoldan should be maintained."
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