[단독]Professor Kim Hyeong-seok, who called the Freedom Society ‘new right’, was named the new director of the Korean Independence Hall.

Kim Hyeong-seok, the new director of the Korean Independence Hall. Screenshot of Korea History and Future Foundation website

Kim Hyeong-seok, a professor at Kosin University, was named the new director of the Korean Independence Hall on the 6th. Lee Jong-chan, the chairman of the Freedom Party, is expected to cause controversy as he is a man who has identified himself as a New Right figure and asked the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs for his application to withdraw.

The Ministry of Veterans Affairs announced today that Professor Kim has been appointed as the director of the Korean Independence Hall for a three-year term. The Director of the Korea Independence Hall is appointed by President Yoon Seok-yeol after recommending several candidates from the Executive Recommendation Committee (Nomination Committee) established by the Board of Directors of the Korea Independence Hall and following the recommendation of the Minister of Veterans Affairs.

At a press conference the day before, Lee Jong-chan, chairman of the Liberation Society, took aim at Director Kim, saying, “(One of the candidates for the director of the Korean Independence Hall) shares the Syngman Rhee sat south. wing and President Kim Koo into the left wing, or reducing the history of the Provisional Government, leading to the Republic of Korea becoming the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea in 1919. “It was said that the country but in 1948,” he said, adding that a new nomination committee should be established and the process of selecting candidates should be repeated.

Chairman Lee also criticized Director Kim for “bringing politics into historical research by leading an organization that is closely tied to the government and signing a business agreement with a certain political party.” This is explained as a reference to the fact that Director Kim serves as the chairman of the board of directors of the Korea History and Future Foundation. This foundation signed a business agreement with the People Power Party think tank, the Yeouido Research Institute, in August 2022.

In an October 2022 media interview, Director Kim said, “We must end the ‘father of the country debate’ and make both Syngman Rhee and Kim Gu the ‘founding fathers of the country.’ National unity is only possible when we bring together supporters of Syngman Rhee and Kim Gu.” In a book published in August 2022, Director Kim said of the ‘Dictionary of Pro-Japanese Biography’ published by the Institute for National Studies, “It is a mistake to equate it with ‘pro-Japanese acts’ ‘ with ‘anti-national acts’ without it. considering the ‘historical advantage’ of pro-Japanese actors.” “I did it,” he wrote.

He also said of the current historical academy’s interpretation of the April 3rd Jeju Incident at a history conference last May, “They are interpreting it politically to explain the riots caused by the Labor Party movement South Korea to prevent the weakening of May. 10 elections.” He is also known to have defended Baek Sun-yup who was the Chief of Staff of the Army when controversy arose over his stance against Japan.

On this day, the Ministry of Veterans Affairs rejected the ‘New Right’ claims about Director Kim, saying, “Director Kim is a person who has argued that both the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea in 1919 and important National Foundation Day 1948,” and “He is not a New Right man.” The Ministry of Veterans Affairs announced the previous day that they would continue with the appropriate procedures in response to the case raised by the Association of Freedom, saying it was a “fair and balanced review”.

Last February, Park Yi-taek, the director of the Nakseongdae Economic Research Institute, which advocates for colonial renewal, was named as the director of the Korea Independence Hall, causing controversy.