[2024 National Audit] Ongoing Dispute Over History Museum Controversy... Minister Kim Moon-soo Ordered to Leave

Minister Kim Moon-soo Maintains Colonial Era Historical View
Opposition Protests Continue, Afternoon Audit Suspended

Members of the ruling and opposition parties on the National Assembly's Environment and Labor Committee clashed over Minister of Employment and Labor Kim Moon-soo's historical awareness during the national audit on the afternoon of the 10th. Ultimately, after continued disputes between the ruling and opposition parties, Minister Kim, who was ordered to leave, retorted, "Why should I be dismissed?"

Minister of Employment and Labor Kim Moon-soo is responding to a lawmaker's question during the National Assembly's Environment and Labor Committee's audit of the Ministry of Employment and Labor held on the 10th. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

The national audit targeting the Ministry of Employment and Labor held by the Environment and Labor Committee continued with disputes between the ruling and opposition parties from the morning into the afternoon. Opposition lawmakers kept questioning Minister Kim about the nationality awareness of ancestors during the Japanese colonial period, as Minister Kim maintained the position that although Japan's colonial invasion was wrong, the nationality at that time was indeed Japanese. Meanwhile, ruling party lawmakers rebutted, saying the opposition was misinterpreting Minister Kim's remarks and trying to label him as pro-Japanese.

Earlier, during the morning session of the audit, Minister Kim stated, "If you study, when going abroad, passport markings and judicial exam applications inevitably indicated nationality, and many were expressed as Japanese Empire nationality," adding, "This is the historical reality." However, he explained, "That does not mean the Korean ethnicity disappeared," and "Nationality and ethnicity are different issues."

Park Hong-bae, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, countered Minister Kim's remarks about passports and Japanese nationality during the afternoon audit, saying, "Japan did not enforce its nationality law on the Korean Peninsula." He further explained, "Regarding forced mobilization and the comfort women issue during Japanese colonial rule, Japanese and Korean court rulings differ. Japanese courts say our people were Japanese nationals at the time and thus subject to Japanese law, so it was not forced labor, but our courts say it was fundamentally illegal from 1910 and therefore wrong."

Based on these opinions, opposition lawmakers demanded Minister Kim's dismissal for sticking to his position. During this process, Kang Deuk-soo of the Democratic Party sharply stated, "From this moment on, I will call him Mr. Kim Moon-soo," adding, "What Mr. Kim Moon-soo says is a matter of personal values and beliefs, which I understand, but since he is sitting here as a cabinet member and minister, we should consider impeachment rather than just dismissal."

On the other hand, Jo Ji-yeon of the People Power Party said, as opposition protests continued, "We should conduct a national audit, not a nationality audit." She emphasized, "Minister Kim said he abides by the Constitution and also stated that the colonial invasion during the Japanese occupation is invalid in itself," adding, "It is inappropriate to label this issue as pro-Japanese." Im I-ja, also from the People Power Party, expressed the opinion that "It is excessive to push the minister's political literacy and thoughts in a place where the national audit should proceed properly."

As the debate continued, Ahn Ho-young, chairman of the Environment and Labor Committee, asked Minister Kim one last time, "Isn't it wrong to describe the nationality of ancestors during the Japanese colonial period as Japanese?" Minister Kim explained, "You cannot undo the fact that athlete Sohn Ki-jung carried the Japanese flag at the Berlin Olympics," adding, "Many of our ancestors experienced and passed through that era." He further emphasized, "While I acknowledge that it was invalid due to Japanese coercion, the nationality at that time was Japanese."

Based on the opposition's opinion and Minister Kim's response, Chairman Ahn requested him to "please leave." However, Minister Kim's remarks such as "Why should I leave?" and "Please tell me the reason" caused confusion in the chamber. The Environment and Labor Committee eventually suspended the audit once again.