Moon to File Defamation Complaint Against Minister Park Min-sik Over 'Father's Pro-Japanese' Remarks

Minsik Park: "Was the Agricultural Chief in the Japanese Colonial Era Pro-Japanese?"
Moon Announces Plans to File Complaint via Assemblyman Yoon Geon-Young... "Defamation of the Deceased"

Former President Moon Jae-in has decided to file a complaint against Minister of Patriots and Veterans Affairs Park Min-sik, who claimed that Moon's father was a pro-Japanese collaborator.

Yoon Gun-young, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea and former head of the Blue House's National Situation Room under the Moon Jae-in administration, stated at a press conference at the National Assembly on the 6th, “Minister Park’s remarks constitute a highly malicious defamation of the deceased,” adding, “Former President Moon plans to file a complaint against Minister Park for defamation of the deceased.”

Minister of Patriots and Veterans Affairs Park Min-sik attending the Political Affairs Committee held at the National Assembly on the 6th.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

Yoon said, “Minister Park Min-sik mentioned former President Moon’s father in response to criticism of General Baek Seon-yeop’s pro-Japanese actions today,” and added, “Minister Park’s claim that former President Moon’s father was a ‘pro-Japanese collaborator’ is a complete falsehood.”

Earlier, Minister Park attended a plenary session of the National Assembly’s Political Affairs Committee and referred to former President Moon’s father, saying, “If Baek Seon-yeop was a pro-Japanese collaborator in his early twenties, then Moon Yong-hyung, the father of President Moon Jae-in, was almost the same age and served as the head of the agricultural department in Heungnam City at the time,” and questioned, “Is the head of the agricultural department in Heungnam City not a pro-Japanese collaborator, but Baek Seon-yeop, a second lieutenant at the Manchurian Military Academy, is? On what grounds should one be labeled a pro-Japanese collaborator and the other not?”

In response, Yoon argued, “Former President Moon’s father serving as the head of the agricultural department at Heungnam City Hall was not during the Japanese colonial period but after liberation,” and added, “He also briefly served as the head of agriculture during the period when the United Nations forces were stationed.”

He further criticized, “This is detailed in former President Moon’s book 'Destiny,' so Minister Park could not have made such claims unknowingly,” and called Minister Park’s remarks “highly malicious.”

After the press conference, Yoon told reporters, “Recently, Representative Jeong Jin-seok was sentenced to prison in the first trial for defamation of the deceased against former President Roh Moo-hyun,” and explained the background of the complaint, saying, “No matter how much the People Power Party and the Yoon Seok-yeol administration pursue political attacks against former presidents, it is unacceptable to baselessly label deceased individuals as pro-Japanese collaborators, and a clear warning must be sounded, which is why legal action is necessary.”

Kim Seong-joo, senior deputy chairman of the Democratic Party’s Policy Committee, also held a press conference on the same day, calling for Minister Park’s resignation. Kim emphasized, “Minister of Patriots and Veterans Affairs Park Min-sik’s reckless remarks based on false information are shaking the historical and legal consensus of our society,” and stressed, “Minister Park, who stakes his position on the claim that ‘Baek Seon-yeop is not a pro-Japanese collaborator,’ must take responsibility for his words and immediately step down.”

Kim pointed out, “Minister Park cited ‘Chairman Lee Jong-chan of the Liberation Association also said Baek Seon-yeop is not a pro-Japanese collaborator’ as the basis for his claim, but Chairman Lee Jong-chan immediately refuted this as untrue,” and noted, “This confirms that Minister Park’s response in the National Assembly was either false or erroneous.”

He continued, “The Minister of Patriots and Veterans Affairs, who serves at the forefront of the ideological and historical war led by President Yoon Seok-yeol but denies the painful history of purging pro-Japanese collaborators, is unnecessary,” strongly criticizing him.

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