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August 15 is Korea's Liberation Day, marking the day when the Korean Peninsula was liberated from Japanese colonial rule on August 15, 1945. Commemorative activities are held across Korea on that day.

Because Kim Hyung-seok, the director of the Independence Hall appointed by the South Korean government not long ago, is considered by the South Korean academic community to be a "pro-Japanese new right-winger", the Speaker of the South Korean National Assembly, dozens of independence movement groups, descendants of independence movement activists, representatives of major opposition parties, etc. did not participate in the commemorative activities organized by the South Korean government and held separate Liberation Day commemorations.This is from KoreaSince the founding of the People's Republic of ChinaFor the first time, independence movement groups did not participate in the government-organized Liberation Day commemorations.

△South Korean National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-sik visited the National Cemetery in Dongjak District, Seoul on the morning of the 15th to pay homage.

South Korea's National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-sik said on the 13th that as the leader of the country's legislative branch, he "has carefully considered the historical responsibility of protecting the spirit of the Constitution, acting as an arbitrator between the ruling and opposition parties, and as a descendant of independence activists. As a representative of the National Assembly, it is difficult to participate in a celebration ceremony that goes against the will of the majority of the people and even the spirit of the Constitution. I will not participate in the Liberation Day celebration ceremony that distorts the independence movement and belittles history."

This is the first time since the founding of South Korea that former National Assembly Speaker Park Byeong-seok missed the Liberation Day commemoration in 2021 due to a visit abroad.This is the first time that the Speaker of the National Assembly was absent from the government-organized Liberation Day commemoration event.

△Some opposition party lawmakers in South Korea attended the Liberation Day commemoration ceremony held by the Liberation Society on the 15th.

People from South Korea's six largest opposition parties, including the Democratic Party, the Fatherland Reform Party, the Progressive Party, the New Future Party, the Social Democratic Party, and the Basic Income Party, also did not attend the memorial ceremony held by the government.

Park Chan-dae, acting leader of the Democratic Party, published a position paper on the 15th stating that the Yoon Seok-yeol government denies the history of the independence struggle and that South Korea's historical identity is being shaken. The government has been forcibly pursuing a submissive foreign policy of "giving all assistance" and "erasing the history of the independence movement," which has seriously damaged the self-esteem and national interests of the Korean people. The Democratic Party demands that the appointment of Kim Hyung-seok, the new director of the Independence Hall, be canceled and the "pro-Japanese virus" in all parts of the government be completely eradicated.

△Park Chan-dae, acting leader of the Democratic Party, released a statement on the party’s position on the 15th.

The "Independence Movement Alliance", which consists of 37 independence movement groups, led by the Korean Liberation Society, held a separate memorial ceremony at the Baekbeom Kim Gu Memorial Hall in Yongsan Hyochang Park in Seoul on the 15th. More than 100 opposition party members, including members of the Liberation Society and descendants of independence activists, the Democratic Party, the Fatherland Reform Party, and the Basic Income Party, also attended the event.

Lee Jong-chan, chairman of the Korean Liberation Society, said at the memorial ceremony, "The recent distortion of the truth and the prevalence of inferior historical views of pro-Japanese history have plunged Korean society into chaos. The Liberation Society must not watch this history regress and be destroyed."

△Lee Jong-chan, chairman of the Korean Liberation Society, delivered a commemorative speech at the Liberation Day ceremony held at the Baekbeom Kim Gu Memorial Hall on the 15th.

Recently, the new right-wingers who are considered by the Korean academic community to hold a "pro-Japanese historical view" have been repeatedly promoted in the Yoon Seok-yeol government. At the end of July, Kim Nak-nyeon, the co-author of "Anti-Japanese Nationalism" which caused controversy due to its historical narrative based on colonial modernization theory and professor emeritus of Dongguk University, was appointed as the president of the Central Academy of Korean Studies; on August 6, Kim Hyung-seok, who was considered a "new right-winger" by the Restoration Society, was appointed as the director of the Independence Memorial Hall, which aroused strong dissatisfaction from all walks of life in South Korea. (CCTV reporter Zhang Yun)

(Source: CCTV News)

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