Woo Won-sik "National division ahead of Gwangbokjeol... President must resolve the issue"

Factually Calling for the Dismissal of Kim Hyung-seok, Director of the Independence Hall
"Support for Sado Mine UNESCO Listing Is Unconvincing"

Speaker of the National Assembly Woo Won-sik urged President Yoon Suk-yeol to step in and resolve the divided public opinion over Kim Hyung-seok, the director of the Independence Hall who is at the center of the 'New Right' controversy, and the designation of Sado Mine as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site.

Speaker Woo Won-shik is holding an emergency press conference on April 24 at the National Assembly regarding the mediation proposal for the Broadcasting Act and other current parliamentary issues. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

On the 13th, Speaker Woo stated in a press release, "Serious division and conflict in public opinion have arisen ahead of Liberation Day," adding, "Eventually, the Liberation Association, composed of descendants of independence activists, along with organizations honoring independence activists, declared their absence from the Liberation Day celebration."

Speaker Woo emphasized that the Liberation Day ceremony should not be divided. He said, "The reason we commemorate Liberation Day as a national holiday is that our independence was not reliant on anyone else but was achieved by our own strength," and added, "Liberation Day must not be turned into a day of conflict and division. It should not be left as a split celebration."

However, Speaker Woo pointed out that there is room for controversy regarding Kim’s historical awareness to serve as the director of the Independence Hall. He said, "The Independence Hall is a symbolic space of the anti-Japanese independence movement," and added, "Despite the explanations from the person involved, doubts remain unresolved as to whether the newly appointed director holds a historical perspective suitable to the founding purpose."

Speaker Woo effectively called on President Yoon to dismiss Director Kim. He stated, "Since the appointee has refused to resign voluntarily, the president, who holds the authority over appointments, should take responsibility and resolve the issue," and added, "The government must also take a clear stance on the controversy over the promotion of Founding Day, which insults the independence movement and damages the nation's identity."

Speaker Woo also addressed the issue of Sado Mine. He said, "Sado Mine is a site of forced labor during the Japanese colonial period and an unchangeable part of history," and stated, "It has been revealed that despite Japan’s refusal to acknowledge the coercive nature, approval was given for its registration as a World Cultural Heritage site, which is utterly unacceptable." He continued, "(President Yoon) must pledge and promise to respond appropriately as the government of a victim country of illegal colonial rule and forced labor," emphasizing, "I reiterate that historical facts cannot be subject to bargaining."

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