"Ban on Public Office Appointments for Pro-Japanese Collaborators" Democratic Party Even Proposed a Bill

'Great-grandson of Kim Gu' Kim Yong-man "Yoon's Excessive Appointments"
Kim Yong-min "Unavoidable Measure to Protect Constitution"
Sanctions Based on 20 Criteria of Pro-Japanese Anti-National Acts

The Democratic Party of Korea has proposed the "Anti-Pro-Japanese Personnel Act (Special Act on the Prohibition of Appointment of Public Officials Who Deny the Constitution and Distort History)" as a party policy.

Kim Yong-min, the Democratic Party's Deputy Floor Leader for Policy, and Representative Kim Yong-man submitted the "Anti-Pro-Japanese Personnel Act" to the National Assembly Secretariat after the plenary session vote on the afternoon of the 28th. Representative Kim Yong-man, the great-grandson of Baekbeom Kim Gu, submitted the bill and told reporters, "Recently, pro-Japanese and anti-nationalist remarks have appeared consecutively from Kim Hyung-seok, Director of the Independence Hall, Lee Jin-sook, Chairperson of the Korea Communications Commission, and Kim Moon-soo, nominee for Minister of Employment and Labor." He added, "We have created a law that restricts the defense, glorification, and justification of various anti-nationalist acts."

Kim Yong-man, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, who was recruited as a talent last January (right). / Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

The Democratic Party borrowed the criteria for "pro-Japanese acts" defined in the 2004 Special Act on the Investigation of Anti-National Acts under Japanese Colonial Rule as the standard in this law. The 20 criteria set forth in the special act include ▲ acts of attacking or ordering attacks on troops fighting Japanese imperialism to protect national sovereignty ▲ acts of killing, executing, abusing, or arresting independence activists or anti-Japanese movement participants and their families, or ordering or commanding such acts ▲ acts of hindering independence or anti-Japanese movements through espionage activities.

The Anti-Pro-Japanese Personnel Act prohibits appointing individuals who have committed pro-Japanese acts as defined by these criteria, including those who "fabricate and disseminate historical facts to glorify or justify such acts," to high-ranking public office positions. Representative Kim Yong-man stated, "There have been reckless appointments under the Yoon administration," and added, "Even conservative circles oppose Kim Hyung-seok as Director of the Independence Hall. I believe such matters should be controlled at the national level."

Deputy Floor Leader Kim Yong-min said, "Although it may seem like a strong restriction on public official appointments, it is actually an unavoidable measure to protect the Constitution," and predicted, "If this law passes, efforts to uphold the Constitution within the public service will be strengthened." He also explained, "Since the restriction applies only to political appointees, heads and executives of public institutions, it is at a normal level."

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