[Insight & Opinion] 'Hong Beom-do Controversy' Must Be Settled for True Public Communication to Begin

The Yoon Suk-yeol administration made two major concessions to Japan. Although the Supreme Court ruled that Japan must compensate victims of forced labor during the Japanese colonial period, the government proposed a solution where a domestic foundation would make the payments instead. Additionally, the government issued a review report stating that the planned discharge of contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear plant into the ocean "complies with international standards if carried out as planned." Public opposition was strong. At one point, foot traffic in the seafood market stopped. The president’s approval rating dropped significantly. However, there were also effects such as the strengthening of the South Korea-U.S. alliance and trilateral cooperation among South Korea, the U.S., and Japan, as well as increased personal and economic exchanges between South Korea and Japan. Although the president’s support base was displeased with the government’s concessions, they softened their stance as they recognized these effects.

The truly serious issue erupted over the controversy surrounding the removal of the Hong Beom-do bust. In August, the Ministry of National Defense and others announced plans to remove the busts of independence and liberation heroes in front of the Army Academy’s Chungmugwan Hall and relocate them to the Independence Hall. It is known that the trigger was a ruling party official’s remark: “Although General Hong Beom-do made achievements in the Battle of Bongodong, he was a key figure in the Free City Incident and later became a Soviet soldier. It is questionable why his bust was erected at the Army Academy.”

August was just when public resentment over forced labor and contaminated water was barely subsiding. The ruling party then created the Hong Beom-do issue. If they had barely escaped the ‘humiliation to Japan’ frame, they should have at least avoided actions that would provoke anti-Japanese sentiment among the public for a while. This is a matter of judgment and etiquette. Yet the ruling party jumped back into that frame.

Some conservatives are also taken aback by this. They ask, “There are so many national issues to address, so why Hong Beom-do?” According to the ruling party, the concessions on forced labor and contaminated water were for security and economic reasons. The question follows: “Removing the bust is not related to livelihood, so why the obsession?” The key to successful politics is timing. The forces pushing for the bust’s removal lost their sense of timing by pressing ahead before the wounds from forced labor and contaminated water had healed. They replaced that sense with the New Right historical perspective.

The public opinion battle over erasing Hong Beom-do is ending in a complete defeat for the government. Polls show that opposition to removing the bust is much higher. People in their 70s who voted for candidate Yoon Suk-yeol in the last presidential election, progressive people in their 40s, and even the younger generation in their 20s all oppose it. Even conservative-leaning newspapers favorable to the current government criticize the bust removal in their editorials.

Why do public opinion and the media show a stance to protect Hong Beom-do? Even accepting the ruling party’s claims, Hong Beom-do embodies both the cultural aspect of anti-Japanese independence movements and the ideological aspect of Soviet military activity. Responsibility for the Free City Incident is unclear, and his Soviet military background is less damaging than that of the North Korean People’s Army. In such cases, the majority of the public values culture?sharing the same language, ethnicity, and history?much more than ideology.

What the ruling party should truly worry about is that the Hong Beom-do issue will not end as a one-off. The public fatigue accumulated from forced labor and contaminated water issues has grown much larger with Hong Beom-do. The Hong Beom-do issue is also affecting the president’s consistently low approval ratings and the ruling party’s defeat in the Gangseo District mayoral by-election. People are angry because of the Hong Beom-do issue. The psychology of “seeing it again and again” has exploded. Despite this, Defense Minister Shin Won-sik said at a confirmation hearing that he would consider renaming the Navy submarine Hong Beom-do. Does this mean he is betting the regime’s fate on Hong Beom-do?

The ruling party needs to respect the public sentiment reflected in the polls. After the Gangseo District by-election defeat, communication is the government and ruling party’s key issue. They must recognize that leaving the Hong Beom-do bust and the Hong Beom-do submarine as they are is the beginning of communication with the people.

Heo Man-seop, Professor at Gangneung-Wonju National University

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