Democratic Party lawmakers and officials are protesting to demand the resignation of Independence Hall President Kim Hyung-suk. Captured from Rep. Lee Jung-moon's Facebook page.

 The controversy surrounding the Independence Hall of Korea is escalating beyond a simple issue of worship into a major political scandal. 

The trigger was a JTBC report alleging that Independence Hall President Kim Hyung-suk held a religious service with acquaintances from his church inside a lecture hall at the facility. The report cited staff testimony and footage of an opened storage area to raise concerns about the "privatization of national assets." [Exclusive] Kim Hyung-suk holds 'hymn service' with church members at Independence Hall... 'Privatization' backlash 

However, after investigation, the Hanmi Ilbo has concluded that the essence of this matter is less about the nature of the worship service itself—which was presented as an example of privatization—and more about a "coordinated offensive for resignation by political circles and the media."

This year, the Independence Hall hosted a special exhibition titled "Independence Movement and Religion," which included both religious services and dharma ceremonies for various faiths, including Christianity, Catholicism, Buddhism, Confucianism, and Cheondoism. The service led by President Kim was an event conducted as part of this broader flow. 

While it is true that a storage area usually closed to visitors was partially opened, internal officials explain that there have been similar instances in the past for visits by academic or specialized groups. They argue that while procedural improvements might be needed, it cannot be characterized as a criminal act or intentional privatization.

Nevertheless, the repercussions immediately spread into the political arena. 

The Heritage of Korean Independence (Gwangbokhoe) and Democratic Party lawmakers have been holding press conferences and protests to block his entry to work, demanding President Kim’s immediate resignation. Actions followed in a synchronized manner, ranging from complaints to the Board of Audit and Inspection and requests for investigation by the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) to warnings from the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs. This is why critics point to these events as an all-out offensive to oust an agency head who still has two years left in his term.

In particular, the recent sequence of events has unfolded with the precision of a calculated "timeline."

August 20: Democratic Party members, led by Gwangbokhoe members, occupy the President's office.

August 21: Press conference by Democratic Party lawmakers from Cheonan (Moon Jin-seok, Lee Jae-kwan, Lee Jung-moon).

August 22: Gwangbokhoe files a complaint with the Board of Audit and Inspection.

August 25: Struggle to block the President’s entry to work (relay protests by various local Democratic Party chapters).

August 27: Minister of Patriots and Veterans Affairs sends a public warning letter.

August 28: Attorney Kim Kyung-ho of the law firm HOIN files a complaint with the CIO (for abuse of power and breach of trust) and files an injunction with the Daejeon District Court to stop the President's salary (citing mental distress for 135 people).

There is even talk that the Independence Hall has effectively become a "liberated zone" for these protests.

Criticism is also being directed at the media's attitude. 

Most media outlets repeated the JTBC report without verification, and outlets providing counterarguments were extremely limited. An official from the Independence Hall lamented, "One has to wonder if JTBC is positioning itself as the vanguard of a political faction." 

Notably, according to officials, the amount involved in the alleged preferential treatment or privatization is merely around 200,000 won. Critics point out that this is an insignificantly small sum to serve as the pretext for such a massive political offensive.

President Kim Hyung-suk told this newspaper regarding the situation, "I will express my position at the National Assembly press center in the near future." As the conflict shows signs of becoming a protracted battle, his direct statement is expected to be a turning point in the controversy.

The Independence Hall of Korea is a symbolic space opened in 1987 with public donations. Yet, it is currently degenerating into a stage for political confrontation and media warfare. If there are concerns regarding worship services, they should be addressed through institutional improvements. However, the organized effort to use this as a pretext to force the resignation of a specific individual is a scene rarely seen in a normal democratic state.

This controversy is not merely about the status of a single agency head. It nakedly exposes the reality of South Korean politics, where problems in operating public institutions are not resolved through administrative discourse but are instead transformed into stages for political purges. What echoed through the Independence Hall was not a hymn, but the sound of a political ensemble performed in unison by power and the media.

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