Jang Kyung-tae: "Yoon's congratulatory speech feels less like Liberation Day and more like Submission Day"

President Yoon Suk-yeol emphasized trilateral cooperation among South Korea, the United States, and Japan in his Liberation Day speech the previous day, referring to Japan as "a partner that shares universal values with us and pursues common interests." In response, Jang Kyung-tae, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, criticized, saying, "It feels more like Submission Day than Liberation Day."

On the 16th, Jang said on SBS's 'Kim Tae-hyun's Political Show,' "There are various issues, from the territorial claim over Dokdo to the registration of Hashima Island as a World Cultural Heritage site. Yet, none of these issues were mentioned, and instead, the importance of trilateral cooperation among South Korea, the U.S., and Japan was emphasized."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

He raised his voice, saying, "I thought August 15 was the day of defeat for our Republic of Korea," and added, "Prime Minister Kishida offers tribute to the Yasukuni Shrine, and over 70 members of the Liberal Democratic Party, including Chairman Hagiura, visit the shrine. Isn't it only us who have many historical grievances and issues regarding Japan?"

Regarding President Yoon's statement in the speech that "communist totalitarian forces have always disguised themselves as democracy activists, human rights activists, and progressive activists, engaging in false propaganda and vile, immoral operations," he said, "I did not expect him to have such an understanding. Not only was the Submission Day speech problematic, but his perception of reality seems to be influenced solely by far-right YouTubers."

On Kim Seong-tae, chairman of the People Power Party's Central Committee, saying that the speech reflected what conservative presidents in the past wanted to say, Jang responded, "At the very least, I don't think President Kim Young-sam would have said such things," adding, "I did not expect him to have this level of perception of reality."

He then said, "What was somewhat satisfying was Chairman Lee Jong-chan of the Liberation Association saying, 'Even if there was no government, there was a country.' Isn't this historical debate over now?" and questioned, "The preamble of the Constitution of the Republic of Korea states that it inherits the legal tradition of the 1919 Provisional Government. If the independence movement is now called the founding movement, does that mean we have to revisit this debate?"

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