State-affiliated foundation subject to criticism for content involving Japan's colonization of Korea
A government-funded history foundation is facing criticism over lectures that included remarks seen as defending colonial-era collaborators and endorsing the view that South Korea was founded in 1948.
The controversy centers on lectures held as part of the Northeast Asian History Foundation's "Wednesday Forum," according to a Seoul Shinmun report Monday, citing materials obtained by Rep. Kim Jun-hyeok of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea.
In a lecture given April 3, 2024, Lee Chang-wee, a law professor at the University of Seoul, said that "most Joseon people who served in the Japanese military during the colonial period enlisted to overcome discrimination and survive."
He added that the issue of Koreans who collaborated with colonial Japan should be approached with an understanding of those historical circumstances.
Lee also criticized South Korean court rulings recognizing individual compensation claims by victims of forced labor despite the 1965 Korea-Japan claims agreement.
He argued that recognizing such claims on the grounds of crimes against humanity ran counter to principles of international law and prevailing international practice.
In a separate lecture on April 9 last year, Do Jin-soon, a history professor at Changwon National University, argued that Aug. 15, 1948 should be regarded as the founding date of South Korea.
He described the Democratic Party's emphasis on 1919 as the country's founding year as "a comedy."
The 1948-versus-1919 debate has long been politically sensitive in South Korea. Those who emphasize 1919 point to the establishment of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea in Shanghai that year, while others regard the formal establishment of the Republic of Korea government on Aug. 15, 1948 as the nation's founding.
The foundation has reportedly withheld the identities of some speakers and related lecture materials from its website, citing privacy concerns.
Kim criticized the foundation for allowing what he described as distorted historical views to be disseminated through a government-funded institution.
"The Northeast Asian History Foundation is supposed to prevent the distortion of history by other countries, yet it helped spread it," Kim said, calling on the foundation to apologize and take steps to prevent similar cases.
The controversy comes as the foundation is already under scrutiny over separate allegations involving the use of funds for the Wednesday Forum and projects related to Ulleungdo and the Dokdo islets.
The Education Ministry began investigating the foundation in December and suspended Chair Park Ji-hyang from duty in July over alleged misuse of project funds.
A court last month granted Park's request to suspend enforcement of the order, allowing her to return to work, but the ministry has separately asked the foundation's board to consider her dismissal.
Park, a historian specializing in British history, was appointed in December 2023 and is due to complete her term this December.
minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com
