hankyoreh

the members of the National Conference for Democracy and Reunification

Controversy has continued to grow after the government decided to push ahead with an extensive series of events to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the founding of the Republic of Korea on what has up to now been celebrated as Liberation Day, August 15, without first going through a process of gathering public opinion by holding public hearings and the like. In particular, the government has been criticized harshly for unilaterally deciding to change the theme of annual event from “Liberation” to “Foundation” for the first time in 60 years without seeking a national consensus on the issue.

The government has taken steps to organize events to mark the “60th Anniversary of the Founding of the Republic of Korea,” since President Lee Myung-bak took office on February 25. Under the guidance of the presidential office of the Blue House, the government formed a task force under the Prime Minister’s Office in April to plan and coordinate various ceremonies for the event. On May 22, the government launched the “Committee to Commemorate the 60th Anniversary of Foundation,” composed of organizations from both the government and the private sector that report directly to the Prime Minister’s office.

In the process of preparing for the August 15 events, however, the government did not make a serious effort to gather the opinions of scholars or organizations consisting of people who fought to end Japan’s colonial rule over Korea, which officially ended on August 15, 1945. Cha Chang-gyu, the head of the Korea Liberation Association’s secretariat, accused the government of “not making any effort to gather opinions through public hearings.”

Kim Ja-dong, the head of the Association for Commemoration of the Korea Provisional Government, an organization that traces the activities of the provisional government during the colonial period, expressed his anger, saying, “I realized what was going on for the first time after I saw slogans for the ‘60th Anniversary of the Founding of the Republic of Korea’ in the papers.”

Gathering public opinions about the planned celebration is something that many people feel the government should not skip simply by citing a lack of time and other administrative reasons. The issue of whether August 15 should be commemorated as the nation’s founding or the establishment of the government in 1948 has been thorny because it is an issue related to how one interprets the modern history of Korea, including anti-Japanese movements during the period of Japanese colonial rule.

There is something else amiss here. Looking closely at the government’s planned events, it is easy to see that the government has strong-armed these events into being and that what has been organized is merely for show, all of which is reminiscent of events orchestrated by the military-backed government in 1970s and early 1980s.

In particular, none of the events are centered around the theme of reunification or reconciliation with North Korea. In 2005, during the administration of former President Roh Moo-hyun, both South and North Korea held large-scale celebrations, including arts and sports events, on August 15, which both countries celebrated as Liberation Day. At the time, South and North Korea held a football match and other events to show their hope for eventual reunification of the two Koreas. However, there are no such events planned for this year.

By designating the August 15 events as those marking the “60th Anniversary of the Founding of the Republic of Korea” the government is defining the event on August 15 as a festival celebrated solely by the South, leaving no room for talk of reunification or reconciliation with North Korea.

In addition to questioning the accuracy and legality of the August 15 events, critics have raised questions about an exhibition that is part of the government’s planned schedule of events and began August 5. The exhibition, sponsored by the National Archives of Korea, which is affiliated with the Ministry of Public Administration and Security, aims to depict the 60-year history of how the nation has been built.

But it does not include any information about a pro-democracy uprising in June 1987, a key event that brought democracy to South Korea. In addition, the exhibition offers sparse coverage of two pro-democracy uprisings that occurred in 1960 and 1980, while offering extensive coverage of how Korea’s first president, Syngman Rhee, formed his government and how former President Park Chung-hee developed the economy. “The exhibition is aimed at providing factual information that is free of political bias, based on materials owned by the National Archives of Korea,” the ministry said. “The National Archives of Korea has no records on the June uprising,” the ministry said.

In response to the government’s decision to celebrate Foundation Day, civic groups including Association for commemoration of Korea Provisional Government, the Institute for Research in Collaborationist Activities and others say they will not participate in the events unless the government changes its stance.

On August 7, the groups asked the Constitutional Court to look into whether the government’s attempt to celebrate August 15 using the the foundation theme is unconstitutional. The groups also filed a court injunction to stop the government’s schedule of events.

Please direct questions or comments to [englishhani@hani.co.kr]