Demand for withdrawal of Independence Restoration Society personnel recommendations in a day
Lee Jong-chan: “Shadow of Japanese espionage in Yongsan”
Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs: “New light Director General Kim is not”,
Kim Hyeong-seok, Chairman of the Kim Hyeong-seok Foundation for Korean History and Future, ‘Kim Hyeong-seok, Chairman of the Kim Hyeong-seok Foundation for Korean History and Future, who had demanded the withdrawal of Independence Restoration Society personnel recommendations as ‘New light personnel’, was appointed as Director General of the Independence Memorial Hall. President Lee Jong-chan of the Independence Restoration Society held an urgent press conference demanding an official withdrawal, and it was carried out in just a day, leading to strong backlash from the Independence Restoration Society.’, , , ‘On the 7th, the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs announced that President Yoon Seok-yeol appointed Chairman Kim to a 3-year term as Director General of the Independence Memorial Hall the day before. Chairman Kim previously served as a professor at Chongshin University, policy advisor to the Ministry of Unification, Secretary-General of the Hanmin Welfare Foundation, Research Director of the Ahn Ik-tae Foundation, and Operating Director of the Foundation for Unification and Sharing.’, , , ‘Earlier, Chairman Lee held a press conference on the 5th, stating, “The Executive Recommendation Committee of the Independence Memorial Hall selected three candidates for the position of director general, including those who argue that the Japanese colonial period helped modernize Korea,” and demanded the nullification of the recommendation.’ , , , ‘The Director General of the Independence Memorial Hall is appointed by the President at the recommendation of the Minister of Patriots and Veterans Affairs from among the candidates recommended by the Executive Recommendation Committee. However, the Independence Restoration Society identified Chairman Kim and another professor as ‘New light personnel.’ On the same day, at a press conference with Democratic Party lawmakers Lee Jeong-heon and Independence Restoration Society director Lee Haesuk, they demanded opposition to the final candidate’s appointment at the National Assembly.’, , , ‘However, the next day, President Yoon appointed Chairman Kim as the new Director General, prompting the Independence Restoration Society to hold an emergency joint meeting of directors and executives on the 7th to discuss a strong response. It was reported that many participants discussed the need to ‘boycott’ the President’s invitation to the Yeong Bin Gwan event on August 15th Liberation Day and the official commemorative event, citing concerns about the possibility of accidental incidents if they participate. The Independence Restoration Society explained, “The move is part of a conspiracy to institutionalize National Foundation Day and turn the Independence Memorial Hall into a national founding memorial hall,” and stated, “We will listen to the opinions of descendants of independence activists and respond accordingly.”‘, , , ‘Kim Jin, Vice Chairman of the Independence Restoration Society and grandson of independence activist Kim Gu, who failed to compete for the position of Director General, and Kim Jeong-myung, a professor at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, filed a lawsuit with the Seoul Administrative Court to ‘suspend the execution of the decision to recommend director candidates.”, , , ‘Chairman Lee pointed out, “During the interview process, Chairman Kim said that ‘before 1948, there were no Korean nationals, only Japanese nationals,'” and criticized that someone like that should not encroach upon the Independence Memorial Hall. He also raised suspicions, stating, “Recently, some positions at the National Institute of Korean History, Northeast Asian History Foundation, Korea Institute for International Studies, and the Independence Memorial Hall’s Board of Directors have been filled by New light personnel,” and asked, “Isn’t there a shadow of Japanese espionage somewhere in Yongsan?”‘, , , ‘A Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs official stated, “There were no procedural issues in the appointment, and the candidates were evaluated based on their views on the independence movement and history,” and emphasized that the new Director General is not a New light individual.’\n