Lee Dong-gwan, a special adviser for foreign cooperation at the Presidential Office, who is being discussed as the next chairman of the Korea Communications Commission, appeared on a broadcast in the past and said, “Let’s not be bound by the past and boldly sort it out” regarding the issue of the ‘comfort women’ for the Japanese military.
On the 13th <The Hankyoreh>, if you watch <Keukdong Broadcasting>’s “People I Want to Meet, Stories I Want to Hear,” which aired on January 1, 2016, special advisor Lee (then president of Digital Seoul Culture and Arts University) appeared and Pastor Kim Jang-hwan (먹튀검증 I had an interview with Far East Broadcasting Director).
Pastor Kim is considered a representative conservative pastor as he had a three-hour conversation with Mrs. Kim Kun-hee in February of last year when the ‘shamanic controversy’ broke out. At the time, special advisor Lee was registered as a preliminary candidate ahead of the 20th general election, the Saenuri Party (currently the power of the people), in the Seocho-gu district of Seoul.
In the broadcast, special advisor Lee said, “It is a little noisy about the agreement on the ‘comfort women’ of the Japanese military by the Park Geun-hye government announced in December 2015. How long should this (the ‘comfort women’ issue) continue? In response to Pastor Kim’s question, “Shouldn’t the nation as a whole take a step back, even though individuals have been fooled a lot?”, he answered, “I totally agree.”
“This agreement has achieved 90% of what can be realistically achieved. In our time (the term of former President Lee Myung-bak), there were also controversies such as Dokdo, but the ultimate meaning was to boldly organize it in order to move toward the future without being bound by the past any longer.” I want to move on,” he said.
However, from then until now, the ‘comfort women’ agreement has received strong criticism for containing the expression ‘final and irreversible solution’ without converging the opinions of the victims.
Lee Na-young, chairman of the Solidarity for Justice and Memory, told the <Hankyoreh>, “The ‘2015 Korea-Japan Agreement’ was an agreement that was evaluated by the international community as violating victim-centredism.” It is a greeting that reveals the historical and far-right view of history cross-sectionally. Such greetings can block the mouths of those who are trying to face historical justice or truth in future broadcasts or the media.”
Special Advisor Lee evaluated former President Syngman Rhee as “creating today’s Republic of Korea.” Special Advisor Lee replied, “[President Syngman Rhee] had Christian faith and was armed with such a philosophy and belief, so although there were some last flaws, he contributed greatly to establishing the Republic of Korea as a democratic republic.”
Regarding the 2008 candlelight protests, former President Lee Myung-bak argued that he could not convince the public because his mother’s language was insufficient. To a moderator who asked the meaning of the phrase ‘mother’s language is important’ in his book <Challenge Days>, he said, “My father is good for the body, but why doesn’t he eat it!” It tastes good, so try it. In modern politics, you need both to be persuasive.” At the same time, he also commented, “President Park Geun-hye has all of her bisexuality, so she is doing things like benevolence and Joan of Arc.”