Why Even North Korea Reacted Strongly to Kim Kwang-dong's Remarks on the 'Right-Wing Historical View'

5·18 Democratization Movement 'North Korean Troops Involvement Theory' Controversy
4·3 Incident Called "Communist Uprising Led by Namrodang"
North Korea Seems to Use It for 'Agitation' Rather Than 'Historical Distortion' Concerns

Kim Kwang-dong, Chairman of the 2nd Truth and Reconciliation Commission for Past Affairs
[Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jang Hee-jun] Amid ongoing controversy surrounding Kim Kwang-dong, the newly appointed chairman of the '2nd Truth and Reconciliation Commission for Past Affairs,' regarding his historical perspective, even North Korea has joined in the criticism.

North Korea's behavior is interpreted as an attempt to exploit South Korean social conflicts for propaganda and agitation purposes.

On the 15th, North Korea's external propaganda outlet Uri Minjok Kkiri published an article titled "A Criminal Attempt to Erase Truth and Justice," stating, "(The appointment of Chairman Kim Kwang-dong) is nothing but a reckless act that pours cold water on the hopes and expectations of the South Korean people who seek to uncover historical truth and correct past wrongdoings."

It added, "This person once fabricated the Jeju Island People's Uprising as a 'rebellion by communist forces,' labeling the insurgents as 'hostile forces,' and shamelessly insulted the victims and their families by claiming they are trying to receive compensation through falsehoods that they were sacrificed by the military and police."

Chairman Kim previously described the Jeju 4·3 Incident as a "rebellion by communist forces centered on the South Korean Workers' Party" at the '4·3 Incident Textbook Inclusion Public Hearing' held in Jeju in 2011.

Earlier, in 2009, at a security seminar on the 'Restoration of National Identity,' he argued that "defining the Jeju 4·3 Incident as a legitimate resistance against the police and restoring honor to those who fought to prevent the founding of the Republic of Korea and attacked the military and police undermines the legitimacy and authenticity of South Korean history."

The media also targeted Chairman Kim, saying, "He distorted and belittled the truth of the Gwangju People's Uprising and viciously slandered the candlelight protests demanding the impeachment of the major criminal Park Geun-hye," adding, "He is a malignant conservative figure from the 'New Right' faction who, whenever given the chance, fervently promotes pro-American and pro-Japanese sentiments and is obsessed with anti-Republic human rights slanders and confrontation provocations."

This appears to refer to Kim's past academic papers currently under controversy. In 2020, Kim presented a paper titled "Fascist Control of the State over Historical Awareness" at the Korean Hayek Society's autumn policy symposium.

In the paper, he criticized the 'Anti-Historical Distortion Act' proposed by the Democratic Party of Korea, stating, "The false claim that 2,000 people were massacred in the Gwangju incident is tolerated, while the plausible suspicion of North Korean involvement in the Gwangju incident is subject to punishment as historical distortion or defamation of related parties."

He also claimed in the same paper, "President Moon Jae-in repeatedly asserted that helicopters fired machine guns during the May 18 Gwangju democratization period, which is an act of the president disseminating clear falsehoods."

However, Kim's claims have been pointed out to contradict the results of investigations by state agencies. The 'North Korean military involvement theory' has been proven false through multiple government-level investigations.

The helicopter machine gun firing was also concluded to be highly likely based on on-site verification at the Gwangju Jeonil Building by the National Forensic Service from 2016 to 2017.

Meanwhile, Kim, who has served as the head of the National Policy Research Institute, is considered a conservative figure who participated in writing the Korean modern and contemporary history section of the New Right alternative textbook during the Lee Myung-bak administration.

He has been serving as a standing commissioner of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission since February last year, recommended by the People Power Party, and was appointed chairman for a two-year term by President Yoon Seok-youl on the 9th.

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