Why Did Park Min-sik, Who Even Risked His Ministerial Position, Say "Baek Sun-yeop Is Not Pro-Japanese"?

Minsik Park "An Unfounded Pro-Japanese Collaborator Frame"
Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs Also Considering Removal of 'Pro-Japanese Anti-National Acts' Phrase

Minister of Patriots and Veterans Affairs Park Min-sik raised his voice, saying, "I am confident enough to stake my position and say he is not a 'pro-Japanese collaborator,'" asserting that the late General Baek Seon-yeop, a hero of the Korean War (6.25 War), has been framed as a pro-Japanese collaborator, drawing attention to the background of this statement. Although he is a minister with a political background, the intensity of the message is unusual considering his role as the head of the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs.

On the 6th, during CBS Radio's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show,' he said, "The more I study (General Baek), the more I see he is not a pro-Japanese collaborator. The 6.25 War was our greatest national crisis, and (General Baek) was the greatest hero who overcame that crisis," adding, "It is wrong to attack (General Baek) with an absurd pro-Japanese collaborator frame."

Regarding General Baek's record of suppressing independence fighters, he rebutted, "General Baek was 22 years old when he served in the Gando Special Unit. That would be equivalent to a second lieutenant in the army today," and "At that time, there were no independence fighters in Manchuria; those there were anti-Japanese Red Army members or bandits. The targets of the suppression were not independence fighters."

Minister of Patriots and Veterans Affairs Park Min-sik is delivering a congratulatory speech at the inauguration ceremony of the 23rd President of the Liberation Association held at Baekbeom Memorial Hall in Yongsan-gu, Seoul on the 22nd. Photo by Dongju Yoon doso7@

General Baek is a figure controversial for his pro-Japanese actions. According to the '2009 Report' by the Committee for the Investigation of Pro-Japanese and Anti-National Acts, Baek served as an officer in the Manchukuo Army, a de facto puppet army of Imperial Japan, from 1941 until Japan's defeat in 1945, cooperating in the invasion war. In particular, from 1943 to 1945, as an officer of the Gando Special Unit, a Korean special unit that violently suppressed anti-Japanese forces, he actively cooperated in Japan's invasion war.

On the other hand, he is also evaluated as a brilliant commander who saved the Republic of Korea during the Korean War. In August 1950, as commander of the 1st Division of the Army, he led the defense in the Battle of Dabudong in Chilgok, North Gyeongsang Province, successfully repelling North Korean forces and becoming a war hero. In 1953, at the age of 33, he became the first four-star general in the Korean Army. During the war, he served as commander of the 1st Division, commander of the 1st Corps, Chief of Staff of the Army, Korean representative at the armistice talks, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Photo by the National Seoul National Cemetery website

Earlier, Minister Park expressed his intention to restore the honor of General Baek, who has been criticized for his pro-Japanese actions, by considering the removal of the phrase "pro-Japanese anti-national act perpetrator" from Baek's burial record at the National Cemetery. When searching Baek's burial record on the websites of the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs and the National Cemetery, the phrase "pro-Japanese anti-national act perpetrator" remains like a stigma in the remarks section, and the plan is to delete this.

Minister Park's statement contains a definitive interpretation of historical facts. As a legal professional rather than a historian, his remarks may spark controversy over their appropriateness. However, considering that Minister Park is likely to run in the 22nd general election on April 10 next year, his message can also be interpreted as a political maneuver.

It is said that he is delivering a strong message even in his capacity as head of the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs to imprint his presence on the conservative base, which supports the People Power Party.

Meanwhile, in March 2019, the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs inserted the phrase "pro-Japanese anti-national act perpetrator" in the remarks section of burial records on the Ministry and National Cemetery websites based on the list established by the Committee for the Investigation of Pro-Japanese and Anti-National Acts (Anti-National Investigation Committee).

Currently, there are 12 individuals buried in the National Cemetery marked as "pro-Japanese anti-national act perpetrators," including General Baek, former Minister of National Defense Shin Tae-young, former Marine Corps Commander Shin Hyun-jun, former Minister of Communications Lee Eung-jun, and former Yonsei University President Baek Nak-jun.

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