▲(Etoday DB)
The Supreme Court ruled that the government’s decision to strip Kim Seong-su (1981-1955) of Inchon, who was recognized as a person of merit for independence but was found to have committed pro-Japanese activities during the Japanese colonial period, was justified.
According to the legal community, on the 12th, the 3rd Division of the Supreme Court (Chief Justice Noh Jeong-hee) confirmed the lower court ruling that the plaintiff lost the lawsuit filed by Inchon’s great-grandson, Dong-A Ilbo President Kim Jae-ho and Inchon Memorial Association, against the President.
Inchon, who was born as the fourth son of a father who was a member of the Honam region, was approved by the Supreme Council for National Reconstruction on March 1, 1962, and was posthumously awarded the Order of Merit for National Foundation, equivalent to the Presidential Medal of the Order of Merit for National Foundation under the Awards Act.
At the time, the government recognized Inchon’s contributions to the fields of media and education during the Japanese colonial period, including the establishment of the Dong-A Ilbo and Boseong College, the predecessor of Korea University.
However, on June 29, 2009, the Truth Investigation Committee on pro-Japanese and anti-national acts decided that Inchon committed pro-Japanese and anti-national acts during the Japanese colonial period. This is because Inchon published several propaganda and agitation articles praising conscription and student soldiers in national daily newspapers, donated 300 won to the Japanese for the cost of building military aircraft, and attended a celebration of appreciation for the implementation of the Japanese military conscription system.
Afterwards, President Kim and the Memorial Association filed a lawsuit on May 10, 2018, requesting the cancellation of the Order of Merit. The plaintiffs argued that ‘there is a possibility that many of Inchon’s pro-Japanese actions were distorted or fabricated.’
In the first trial, the plaintiffs’ claims were dismissed, and in the second trial, the original judgment was upheld, saying that the cancellation of the award was justified. The Supreme Court also found that there was no legal misunderstanding in the original judgment. The Supreme Court said, “In the case of the Inchon Memorial Association, the plaintiff’s eligibility is not recognized,” adding, “Inchon’s pro-Japanese activities are a new fact that was not revealed at the time of awarding the honor. “If such pro-Japanese activities had been revealed during the award examination, it is clear that the award’s merit could not have been recognized,” the ruling ruled.
