{"id":2202157,"date":"2023-09-05T17:22:18","date_gmt":"2023-09-05T08:22:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/?p=2202157"},"modified":"2023-09-06T17:51:13","modified_gmt":"2023-09-06T08:51:13","slug":"yoons-history-games-how-dictators-sons-apology-furthers-new-right-agenda","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2023\/09\/yoons-history-games-how-dictators-sons-apology-furthers-new-right-agenda\/","title":{"rendered":"Yoon’s history games: How dictator\u2019s son\u2019s apology furthers New Right agenda"},"content":{"rendered":"
Lee In-su, the adopted son of the ROK\u2019s first president, Syngman Rhee, <\/span>expressed remorse<\/span><\/a> for the repression of the April Revolution of 1960 and apologized to the victims of state violence. While this move from Lee mirrors similar recent apologies from descendants of other former leaders, the sincerity of his gesture is under scrutiny.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Rhee\u2019s legacy remains controversial in South Korea. His presidency met its abrupt end following the April Revolution, an uprising instigated by electoral fraud and other autocratic measures. The official death toll from the revolution stands at 186, with a majority being college students who spearheaded the movement.<\/span><\/p>\n A recent survey polled Korean citizens about their <\/span>favorite past presidents<\/span><\/a>. A meager 1.8% chose Rhee, placing him slightly ahead of Chun Doo-hwan and Roh Tae-woo who were responsible for the deaths of hundreds of democracy activists during the Gwangju Democracy Movement.<\/span><\/p>\n Lee\u2019s apology follows similar apologies made by <\/span>Chun Doo-hwan\u2019s grandson<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>Roh Tae-woo\u2019s son<\/span><\/a>. However, given the timing, observers debate whether Lee seeks genuine atonement or merely aims to refurbish his father\u2019s tarnished image.<\/span><\/p>\n POLITICAL MACHINATIONS<\/b><\/p>\n Lee In-su\u2019s offer to apologize isn\u2019t novel. In 2011, Lee announced plans to visit the April 19th National Cemetery, but victims\u2019 families blocked his visit and <\/span>rejected<\/span><\/a> his apology. Observers at the time connected his act of contrition to a <\/span>proposal<\/span><\/a> to erect a statue of Rhee in downtown Seoul\u2019s Gwanghwamun Square.<\/span><\/p>\n One <\/span>recent report<\/span><\/a> highlights that Lee\u2019s offers to apologize seem timed with conservative administrations: first during Park Geun-hye\u2019s term in 2011 and now under Yoon Suk-yeol. This timing suggests potential underlying motives.<\/span><\/p>\n Several<\/span><\/a> observers<\/span><\/a> have drawn a line between Lee\u2019s most recent apology and the current push by private organizations and the Yoon administration to construct a Syngman Rhee Presidential Library, which has been criticized on two fronts.<\/span><\/p>\n First, the main opposition Democratic Party has lambasted the Yoon administration\u2019s financial commitment to the library. Earlier this year, the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs earmarked $34.9 million (<\/span>46 billion won<\/span><\/a>) for the project. This budget is double the allocation for the Park Chung-hee Presidential Library and quadruple that of Roh Moo-hyun\u2019s. Second, others have noted that behind this move lies a broader political intent: to resuscitate Rhee\u2019s image, which could serve conservative interests.<\/span><\/p>\n As noted <\/span>previously<\/span><\/a>, the New Right, an intellectual and political movement linked with the Yoon administration, has sought to rehabilitate Rhee as the crucial founding father of the democratic and capitalist Republic of Korea.<\/span><\/p>\n This push dovetails with conservative leaders\u2019 efforts to recalibrate the significance of Aug. 15. This date marks Korea\u2019s liberation from Japan in 1945 and the ROK\u2019s official inception in 1948. By accentuating the latter, conservatives aim to shift the narrative from liberation to <\/span>national foundation<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n