Pro-impeachment Rally Held on Geumnam-ro, Gwangju on the 15th
Korean History Instructor Hwang Hyunpil: "Fear of Yoon Suk-yeol's Return"
People Power Party Criticizes Hwang's Past Remarks
On the 15th, at a rally in favor of the impeachment of President Yoon Suk-yeol held in Geumnam-ro, Gwangju, Korean history instructor Hwang Hyun-pil reportedly made remarks suggesting that the Korean War was instigated by the United States. The People Power Party stated on the 15th, "Hwang reportedly said things like 'The Korean War was a war orchestrated, scripted, and planned entirely by the United States' and 'The U.S. military fired artillery to see how well the shells would fall when there was a refugee column.'"
On the afternoon of the 15th, at Geumnam-ro in Dong-gu, Gwangju, Hwang Hyun-pil, a famous Korean history instructor, is speaking at the "Gwangju Citizens' General Rally" calling for the impeachment of President Yoon Seok-yeol. Photo by Yonhap News
They continued, "Hwang said, 'The U.S. had a scenario planned even before the war broke out, and as soon as the war started, they made South Korea retreat unilaterally, then planned to launch the Incheon landing operation starting from Jeju Island.' He also mentioned, 'The reason we study modern history is to cultivate a mature anti-American sentiment.' Hwang also claimed a conspiracy theory about the Cheonan ship sinking incident during an Etoos lecture filmed in 2018, stating that the incident was fabricated by the Lee Myung-bak administration and that if the sinking was caused by North Korea, he would cut off his own hand," they pointed out.
They added, "We demand that 'Yoon Suk-yeol Immediate Resignation Social Reform Emergency National Action,' which is leading the pro-impeachment rally, clarify their stance on Hwang’s past remarks."
Hwang, who serves as the director of the Institute for Correcting History, said at the rally, "I was born in Gwangju, a proud sacred place of democratization. In May 1980, when I was eight years old, I saw my parents hammering the windows fearing bullets might come in, and I saw soldiers driving tanks in. There is a saying that South Korean democracy grew by feeding on the blood of Gwangju. My heart is turned upside down seeing supporters of the ringleaders of the rebellion holding rallies in the place where this blood was shed."
He continued, "Gwangju is a representative city of democracy where people can speak freely, but at the very least, holding a rally supporting the ringleaders of the rebellion here is no different from Nazi sympathizers holding rallies in places where the Holocaust occurred." He criticized, "Anti-state forces are those who deny South Korea, and the greatest denial is denying the Constitution. If Yoon Suk-yeol returns, the people will not be able to live without the fear of martial law."
Hwang attracted attention by publicly supporting Lee Jae-myung, the leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, during the 2022 presidential election. In a YouTube video titled ‘Who Should We Elect as President?’, Hwang openly declared his support for Lee by comparing Lee Jae-myung and Yoon Suk-yeol, the People Power Party candidate at the time, to Admiral Yi Sun-sin and Won Gyun, respectively.
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