"The Eulsa Treaty and the Japan-Korea Annexation Treaty Are Invalid Treaties...
At That Time, Our People Were Stateless Both Domestically and Abroad"
Hong Joon-pyo, the mayor of Daegu, criticized Employment and Labor Minister Kim Moon-soo's remarks, saying, "It is absurd to claim that Kim Gu's nationality was Chinese."
On the 15th, Mayor Hong wrote on his Facebook, "To say that the nationality of Korean people during the Japanese colonial period was Japanese is to legally recognize the Eulsa Treaty and the Japan-Korea Annexation Treaty, which is the colonialist view of history," adding, "If you see it that way, the independence movement under Japanese rule becomes a rebellion, and forced marriages are considered valid, which is no different."
He stated, "The Eulsa Treaty and the Japan-Korea Annexation Treaty were forcibly made invalid treaties. They are treaties invalid under international and domestic law," emphasizing, "Therefore, saying that our people under Japanese rule had Japanese nationality is a reckless statement."
Mayor Hong also explained, "It is also absurd to give the outrageous answer that Kim Gu's nationality was Chinese," adding, "The three main elements that constitute a country are territory, sovereignty, and people. During the Japanese colonial period, the people existed, but the territory and sovereignty were taken away."
He continued, "There is an argument that the nationality was Republic of Korea from the time of the Shanghai Provisional Government established after the March 1st Movement in 1919, but since only the people among the three elements of a state existed at that time, there is room for debate," and added, "Therefore, our people lived stateless both domestically and abroad, and only after liberation and regaining the country was nationality restored."
He reiterated, "It is truly regrettable to claim that the nationality of independence hero Kim Gu was Chinese."
Meanwhile, on the 14th, during a National Assembly government questioning session, Minister Kim responded to a question from Min-hee Choi of the Democratic Party of Korea asking, "What was the nationality of Kim Gu, Ahn Jung-geun, and Yun Bong-gil during the Japanese colonial era?" by saying, "Ahn Jung-geun had Joseon nationality, and there are stories that Kim Gu had Chinese nationality, and historians have researched this," which sparked controversy. Earlier, at a confirmation hearing in August last year, Minister Kim also sparked historical view controversies by asserting that ancestors' nationality during the Japanese colonial period was Japanese.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
