Kim Says, "Words That Would Make My Grandfather Turn in His Grave"
"Typical New Right... Unconstitutional and Anti-national"
Kim Yong-man, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea and great-grandson of Baekbeom Kim Gu, recently called for an apology from Minister of Employment and Labor Kim Moon-soo, who claimed that "there are also stories that Kim Gu held Chinese nationality."
Kim Yong-man, great-grandson of Baekbeom Kim Gu and member of the Democratic Party of Korea. Photo by Yonhap News.
On the afternoon of the 17th, Rep. Kim held a press conference at the National Assembly Communication Office and stated, "Kim Moon-soo, who shakes the legitimacy and foundation of the Republic of Korea, is not only unfit to be a minister of the Republic of Korea but also unqualified to be a citizen," adding, "If he does not immediately apologize to the independence activists and their descendants who were forcibly changed in nationality, he will face not only legal action but also nationwide resistance."
Rep. Kim said, "This is something that would make my grandfather jump out of his grave," and called it "an unprecedented outrageous remark that countless independence activists would weep over underground."
He emphasized, "It is unconstitutional, anti-national, and irrational ignorance that directly denies the efforts of the ancestors who declared the illegality of Japan's infringement on national sovereignty and proclaimed the Provisional Government as the only legitimate government, as well as the history of the independence movement," adding, "This Republic of Korea you stand on, your ministerial position, all were built with the blood and sacrifice of our ancestors."
He continued, "How could the president of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea hold Chinese nationality? A person who is a minister of the Republic of Korea is denying the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea," criticizing, "Kim Moon-soo's remarks are a typical New Right claim that denies the Provisional Government and Liberation Day while advocating colonial modernization theory and the founding day."
He also warned of legal action against Minister Kim, saying, "If we do not respond firmly, this problem will recur."
Minister Kim caused controversy on the 14th during a National Assembly government questioning session when he responded to a question from Rep. Choi Min-hee of the Democratic Party asking, "What was Kim Gu's nationality during the Japanese colonial period?" by saying, "There are also stories that he held Chinese nationality, and historians have all researched this."
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