SEOUL – South Korea’s foreign ministry reaffirmed on Friday that Japan’s colonial rule over Korea from 1910 to 1945 is considered “fundamentally null and void,” responding to heightened tensions surrounding the appointment of a new national history museum chief.
According to Yonhap News Agency, its stance was communicated in a letter to The Heritage of Korean Independence (HKI), a state-funded group representing independence fighters and their descendants, amidst a brewing controversy over President Yoon Suk Yeol’s selection of Kim Hyoung-suk as president of the Independence Hall of Korea. This appointment has been sharply criticized by HKI chair and veteran politician, Lee Jong-chan, due to Kim’s alleged pro-Japanese views, with calls for the decision to be revoked.
The debate centers on Kim’s previous statements, notably his designation of August 15, 1948, as a potential national foundation day, which contradicts the widely acknowledged view that South Korea was established on April 11, 1919, with the formation of a provisional government during Japanese rule. This disagreement reflects broader ideological tensions within South Korean society regarding its historical narrative and national identity.
The ministry’s response to HKI also reiterated the invalidity of the Japan-Korea annexation treaty of 1910, as declared in the 1965 treaty that normalized relations between the two nations. “All treaties, agreements, protocols, and other documents between Korea and Japan are all null and void,” stated a ministry official, emphasizing that these were never legally valid due to their coercive imposition on the Korean people.
This reaffirmation by the foreign ministry has been welcomed by HKI, which sees it as validation of South Korea’s legitimacy and identity, and continues to demand the retraction of Kim Hyoung-suk’s appointment. The group has expressed hope that the presidential office will respond in a manner that reinforces public trust and acknowledges the historical sensitivity of the issue.