Jin Joong-kwon: "Kim Won-woong, Emoto Shimaji's Son... The Last Pro-Japanese Remnant"

Kim Won-woong, President of Gwangbokhoe, "Pro-Japanese regime fell by Candlelight Revolution but vested interests remain"

Kim Won-woong, President of the Liberation Association. [Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] Kim Won-woong, chairman of the Liberation Association, sparked controversy by defining past conservative governments such as those of Syngman Rhee and Park Chung-hee as "pro-Japanese regimes" in his Liberation Day commemorative speech. Former Dongyang University professor Jin Jung-kwon criticized Kim, calling him "the only pro-Japanese collaborator in the Republic of Korea, the last remnant of pro-Japanese collaborators."

On the 15th, Jin targeted Kim in a post on his Facebook, saying, "His historical awareness is stuck at the level of liberation history from the 70s and 80s."

Earlier, Kim, in a commemorative speech broadcast via video at the celebration attended by President Moon Jae-in, stated, "Our people have fought against pro-Japanese regimes as a continuation of the independence movement," defining the administrations of Syngman Rhee, Park Chung-hee, and Park Geun-hye as pro-Japanese and anti-national regimes.

Kim continued, "Although the pro-Japanese rooted regime fell due to the Candlelight Revolution, the pro-Japanese anti-national vested interest structure that enabled their rise to power still maintains a cartel structure," adding, "The Republic of Korea, which has deviated from the trajectory of national legitimacy, has now begun to enter its proper course through the power of awakened citizens. If we kneel here, can we rise again?"

He also claimed, "The forces opposing legislation to confiscate pro-Japanese assets formed as a result of national betrayal, the forces seeking to abolish Liberation Day and establish Foundation Day, and the forces intending to create textbooks that glorify pro-Japanese collaborators to teach the younger generation are those who believe that the legal legitimacy of the Republic of Korea lies not with the Provisional Government but with the Government-General of Korea."

Former Dongyang University Professor Jin Joong-kwon. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Former professor Jin criticized this, saying, "The problem is that this pathetic statement came out at an official national event after government coordination," and added, "It's pathetic to wonder how long they intend to keep living like this."

He continued, "This is a cultural lag phenomenon unique to this administration. According to his logic, the worst pro-Japanese collaborator who went through Park Chung-hee's Republican Party and Chun Doo-hwan's Democratic Justice Party is now even serving as the chairman of the Liberation Association," adding, "It really seems that the path to purging pro-Japanese collaborators is still long."

He further said, "If you want to purge pro-Japanese collaborators so badly, why don't you purge yourselves?" and sharply criticized, "As far as I know, the only person who has gone through both the Republican Party and the Democratic Justice Party and currently holds a public position is Mr. Kim Won-woong, the son of Mrs. Emoto Shimaji (江本島次)."

In this regard, in June, the online media outlet 'News Bus' reported based on a school withdrawal certificate that Kim's mother, the late Jeon Wol-seon, a recognized independence activist by the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs, changed her name to Emoto Shimaji (江本島次) the year after she began activities with the Korean Volunteer Army in 1940. At the time, Kim rebutted, saying, "My mother could not have changed her name."

Meanwhile, Kim first entered politics as a party official of the Democratic Republican Party during the Park Chung-hee administration in 1972, and after the launch of the Chun Doo-hwan regime in 1980, he became a preparatory committee member for the founding of the Democratic Justice Party and participated in its establishment.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.