1919 vs 1948: Controversy rekindled over Korea's founding year

The Korea Times

The Korea Times

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Thu, December 7, 2023 | 22:27

Politics

1919 vs 1948: Controversy rekindled over Korea's founding year

Posted : 2023-08-14 16:44

Updated : 2023-08-14 17:07

People walk past Seodaemun Prison History Hall in western Seoul, Monday, a day before National Liberation Day which falls on Aug. 15. Newsis

By Lee Hyo-jin

As Korea commemorates the 78th National Liberation Day, Tuesday, debates have reignited over which year should be viewed as the founding year of the nation, a topic that has long been a source of ideologically driven disputes.

Liberal politicians and scholars regard 1919, when the government-in-exile was set up in Shanghai, China, as the year the country was founded. They view that the interim government undertook administrative, diplomatic and military activities to gain independence from Japan's colonial rule in 1945, and thus serves as the basis for today's Korea.

On the other hand, conservatives support the notion that the founding year is 1948, when the internationally recognized government under inaugural President Syngman Rhee was established. This stance has been upheld by the New Right, a group of right-wing conservative historians.

The controversy over the country's founding year was first triggered in 2006 by then Seoul National University economics professor Rhee Young-hoon, who wrote a column in the local daily DongA Ilbo. He claimed that Korea needs to designate a "Foundation Day," saying that the "true light" came to the Korean people on Aug. 15, 1948, with the formation of the inaugural government.

The years-long debate was brought up again after Lee Jong-chan, head of the Heritage of Korean Independence, a state-funded association of independence fighters, asserted that 1919 is the "inaugural year" of Korea.

Lee Jong-chan, head of the Heritage of Korean Independence, delivers a speech during a ceremony dubbed "Korean identity proclamation ceremony," in Seoul, Aug. 3. Newsis

"The Heritage of Korean Independence should rectify the nation's identity. 1919 is the inaugural year of the Republic of Korea," he said in his inaugural speech on June 22. "Through the spirit of independence, Korea was able to successfully transform into a donor country from a recipient nation of international aid. We should be proud of it."

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His remarks drew a backlash from conservative historians. Lee In-ho, a professor emeritus at Seoul National University, called this a "serious distortion of history."

"The claim that the establishment of the provisional government in Shanghai in April 1919 marked the establishment of our Republic of Korea ― not Aug. 15, 1948 ― is a clear distortion of history," he wrote in a June 30 column in conservative online media New Daily.

"The provisional government is, by all means, just an interim government. It was not a formally recognized state with the authority to protect its citizens both domestically and internationally," the professor added.

In another speech given on Aug. 3, Lee of the Heritage of Korean Independence reiterated his stance, saying that "the narrative that 1948 is the founding year is Japan's claim."

Liberal historians criticize that recognizing 1948 as the year of foundation could be seen as legitimizing collaborators from the Japanese occupation era by framing them as the founding members of the government.

Successive governments have shown different views about the nation's founding year.

In 2008, the conservative President Lee Myung-bak administration (2008 to 2013) designated the Liberation Day commemoration event as the "celebration of the 60th anniversary of the foundation of Korea and the 63rd anniversary of Liberation," reflecting its view that 1948 is the country's founding year.

Similarly, former President Park Geun-hye, from 2013 to 2017, referred to the 2016 Liberation Day as the "68th anniversary of the foundation of the nation and the 71st anniversary of liberation."

But former liberal President Moon Jae-in, from 2017 to 2022, said that "2019 is the centennial of the nation's foundation and the establishment of the government-in-exile," sparking debates among politicians and scholars.

President Yoon Suk Yeol has not shown support for either view. In his Liberation Day speech in 2022, he honored those who fought for the country's independence, emphasizing their efforts to protect the values of freedom and human rights.

Amid ongoing debates, Yoon is expected to try to put an end to the controversy through his Liberation Day speech which will be delivered on Tuesday.

lhj@koreatimes.co.kr