The main opposition Democratic Party (DP) on Tuesday urged the labor minister nominee to step down voluntarily, a day after he said that Koreans during Japan’s 1910-45 colonial rule were regarded as Japanese nationals.

During Monday’s confirmation hearing, nominee Kim Moon-soo said that the nationality of Koreans during the colonial rule was Japanese, sticking to a controversial remark he made years ago that critics say denies the view that the country was founded in 1919 with the establishment of a provisional government.

“Our country was destroyed during the Japanese colonial period, how could there be such a thing as (Korean) nationality?” Kim said during the hearing. “Our country was completely taken over and forcibly incorporated into Japan.”

On Tuesday, DP floor leader Park Chan-dae denounced Kim’s views, calling him the “worst anti-state figure under the Yoon Suk Yeol administration beyond redemption.”

“Kim should step down voluntarily today if he wants to preserve any shred of honor as a former l
abor activist who fought during the harshest of times,” he said.

Delivering a lecture at a church in 2018, Kim said he cannot agree to the view that the country was founded in 1919, questioning why there was an independence movement had there been a country during the colonial period.

The question of when South Korea came into being has long been a subject of ideological debate, with some arguing it was April 11, 1919, when a provisional government was established during Japan’s colonial rule.

Korea achieved independence on Aug. 15, 1945, following Japan’s surrender in World War II.

During Monday’s hearing, Kim also said former President Park Geun-hye’s impeachment was “wrong and will be reevaluated historically.”

Source: Yonhap News Agency