New Right figures undermine fabric of Korea’s 'history of liberation'

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A controversy over history is emerging as a detonator of the political situation, with the appointment of a New Right figure as the head of the Independence Hall of Korea sparking a backlash from independence movement-related organizations, including the Heritage of Korean Independence. A week ahead of the 79th anniversary of National Liberation Day of Korea, concerns are growing as the New Right's attempts to distort history continue in places.

According to an interview with the Kyunghyang Shinmun on August 8, a book titled "A Report on Kim Koo’s Terrorist Activities” will be published on August 15, National Liberation Day. The author, Jeong An-gi, is the co-author of the book "Anti-Japanese Tribalism," published in 2019. The book was controversial at the time of its publication because it denied the forced mobilization and the coercion of Japanese Military Sexual Slavery during the Japanese occupation and advocated colonial modernization.

In the book introduction section of an online portal, Jeong introduced his book as "a critical reflection on the illusory incongruity of a global terrorist and a father of Korea and academic research that challenges the de-mythology of the great myth of Baekbeom Kim Koo.”

Although the author claimed that the book focused on “academic research,” critics say that it contains biased historical perceptions when considering the past remarks of the author and the publisher's book review.

“Kim Koo that Koreans fantasize about is nothing more than a historical illusion created by pro-North Korean figures who espoused its juche ideology,” Jeong wrote in the book. He also argued, "Fantasizing about and sanctifying Kim Koo as a 'savior of the nation' or a 'messiah of freedom and unification' is a terrible schizophrenia and hypocrisy."

In February, Jeong also appeared in a YouTube broadcast titled "Why the Left Glorified Kim Koo...There was a Soviet mastermind," and said, "Terrorism is never glorified, it's not something you can point a finger at, it's value-neutral. An Jung-geun, Lee Bong-chang, Yun Bong-gil are all terrorists and there's no room for discussion.” Later in the video, he said, "It's absurd to see people talking about Kim Koo that he had a sense of national conscience or morality," adding, "[Kim Koo] tried to invalidate the founding of Korea itself and he did so until he died."

Bang Hak-jin, head of the planning department at the Center for Historical Truth and Justice, said, “The author first argued that ‘'I can make this claim because it's an academic approach,' but then claims that it's 'anti-Japanese propaganda by pro-North Korean figures who espoused its juche ideology. In the end, it's hard to see this book as just a pure academic book."

The documentary "The Beginning of a Miracle," which KBS is preparing to air on Liberation Day, also raises concerns about whether it is trying to distort history on such a day.

The documentary, which was released in February, covers the life of former President Syngman Rhee. It includes interviews with Lee's adopted son, Lee In-su, and former army chief of staff Paik Sun-yup. The documentary was criticized for focusing on Lee's achievements and making one-sided claims, such as referring to the Yeosu-Suncheon incident as the "Yeosu Rebellion," and making unilateral claims about the April 19 Revolution that Rhee was unaware of the fraudulent election.

There are voices within KBS that airing the documentary is abdicating its responsibility of a public broadcaster. Inside KBS, there are voices saying that airing the documentary is a violation of its public broadcasting responsibilities. The KBS headquarters of the National Union of Mediaworkers said, "The documentary deals with Syngman Rhee, a controversial figure in Korea's modern history, but it only praises and glorifies him without a minimum sense of balance and reflection," adding, "I hope you will ask yourself, 'For whom should ‘The Beginning of a Miracle’ be aired? Is it for viewers or for someone up on high?’”

KBS was also criticized for its biased coverage of the film "The Birth of Korea” on “News 9” in February. While the film was criticized for distorting history by glorifying the former president Rhee, the report focused on the film's claims rather than verifying the controversy.

Analysts say that the fact that books, films, discourses and remarks containing the core arguments of the New Right forces are at the forefront of society has been linked to the recent appointments of New Right figures to the key positions of government-affiliated agencies. In addition to Kim Hyung-seok, the head of the Korea History and Future Foundation, who was inaugurated as the head of the Independence Hall of Korea, there have been a number of appointments of New Right figures to key positions in history-related organizations under the government. Park Ji-hyang, head of the Northeast Asian History Foundation, Kim Joo-sung, the director of the Academy of Korean Studies, and Kim Nak-nyeon, the chairperson of the Korea Institute for Advanced Study, all of whom participated in writing the national history textbook during the Park Geun-hye administration in 2015, were appointed to key posts of historical institutions this year.

"In the past, New Right figures insisted on (distorting history) under the pretext of academic freedom, but now that they are seated in important positions at major historical research institutes, not in the field of study, the New Right forces are at the forefront," Bang said. "They are now able to study and write with national taxes, so they are much more dangerous than in the past."

"In the past, New Right figures have claimed academic freedom to distort history, but now that they are not in the realm of academia but in key positions at major historical research institutions, the New Right has come to the forefront," Bang Hak-jin said. "They are now able to conduct research and write a book with state taxpayer money, which makes the situation much more dangerous than in the past."

※This article has undergone review by a professional translator after being translated by an AI translation tool.