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In South Korea, March 1st is "Sam-il", which was established in 1949 as a national holiday, 'Gwangbokjeol' on August 15th, and it is one of the three major holidays in Korea, along with 'Gyecheonjeol', the founding day of Korea. Commemorative ceremonies and events are held across South Korea on March 1st, but they have been canceled or scaled down for three years due to the COVID-19 virus epidemic. This year, however, it was held on the same scale as before. According to South Korea's Yonhap news agency, about 1,300 people, including those who dedicated their lives to the country, bereaved families of those who have made significant contributions to independence, and citizens, attended the commemorative ceremony held at the memorial hall for independence activist Yoo Gwan-sun. attended. At the Independence Hall in Cheonan, central South Korea, a reenactment of the Banzai Movement was held with the participation of 1,919 honorary independence activists selected by the people.
In a speech at a commemorative ceremony held at the Yoo Gwan-sun Memorial Hall, President Yoon said, "The cooperation between South Korea, the United States, and Japan has become more important than ever in overcoming security crises, including complex crises and serious threats from the North. We must cooperate and collaborate with countries that share universal values and contribute to the prosperity of the world," he said. "We pay tribute to the martyrs and patriots who sacrificed and devoted themselves to the freedom and independence of their country," he said. "The March 1st Movement was an independence movement to establish a free democratic nation where the people are the masters." In addition, President Yoon said, "We must look back on the painful past when we lost our sovereignty and suffered because we were not sufficiently prepared for the changes in the world. It is clear that if we cannot read the changing trends of world history and do not prepare for the future, the misfortunes of the past will be repeated," he said.
"Japan has changed from a militaristic aggressor of the past to a partner who shares universal values with us and cooperates on security, economics and the global agenda," he said.
Regarding President Yoon's speech, which emphasized a future-oriented relationship with Japan, South Korea's Yonhap News said, "We will cooperate with Japan in a wide range of areas, including security, to respond to the growing nuclear threat from North Korea. "Strengthening cooperation with Japan, which shares liberal democracy and a market economy, is in line with the 'free democratic nation' embodied in the spirit of the March 1st Movement. It can be said that it is a message that we will do the same."
In his speech, President Yoon did not mention the issue of the forced labor lawsuit, which is a consideration of Japan and South Korea. As a solution to this problem, the Yoon administration will continue discussions with Japan centering on the idea that an existing foundation under the South Korean government will pay the plaintiffs instead of the Japanese company ordered by the Supreme Court to pay compensation. there is Minister of Foreign Affairs (the equivalent of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs) Park Jin met with the bereaved families of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit on Jan. 28 to ask for their understanding of the government's policy.
Yonhap News reported that President Yoon did not mention the former forced labor lawsuit or the comfort women issue in his speech, nor did he make any mention of demanding an apology or remorse from Japan. After comparing with former President Jae-in's 2018 '3.1' speech, he used expressions such as '(Mr. Moon)' perpetrator 'anti-human rights crime' to describe Japan. It is in contrast to urging people to reflect on their actions," he said.
On the other hand, Lee Jae-myung, leader of the largest opposition party, the Minjoo Minjoo Party, criticized that the Yoon administration had forgotten the spirit of the March 1st (independence) movement. "There is no public objection to trying to build a future-oriented relationship between South Korea and Japan, but it is impossible to build trust without historical responsibility and reasonable legal compensation," he said. He added, "When the Yoon administration tries to neglect peace and national interests, we will do our utmost to prevent it. That is the only way to honor the dedication of the martyrs who never lost their desire for independence even in the midst of severe hardships."
2023/03/06 13:11 KST
