According to Yonhap News, on October 5th local time, South Korean President Li Jae-myung announced on social media that the South Korean government would invest more manpower and resources to recover property belonging to pro-Japanese figures in history.
According to a report published by JTBC, a television station affiliated with the South Korean 'Chungang Daily', the South Korean government recovered some of the assets of the pro-Japanese figure Kim Han-kwe last year. South Korean officials determined through investigation that the capitalist Kim Han-kwe had long colluded with Japanese invaders during the Japanese occupation period. Therefore, in accordance with the law, they recovered some of his assets from his descendants.
Lee Jae-ming shared this report on social media, writing: 'Even if it's necessary to expand the workforce, budget, and organization, the properties owned by pro-Japanese parties must be thoroughly confiscated. The phenomenon of 'three generations of the poor fighting against Japan, three generations of the rich pro-Japan' must no longer exist.'
A survey published by the Hankook Daily in 2015 found that among more than 1,000 Korean heroes who fought against Japan and their descendants, over 75% had incomes below the Korean average. In stark contrast, most of the descendants of more than 1,000 pro-Japanese individuals lived comfortably. Among them, 32% were from business backgrounds, and social elites such as politicians, public officials, and lawyers accounted for more than 14%.
At that time, this investigation result sparked outrage in Korean society. Statements such as “Three generations of poor people due to anti-Japanese efforts, three generations of wealthy people due to pro-Japanese actions” became popular on Korean social media. Many Korean citizens believe that this is because the Korean government failed to reckon with those who were pro-Japanese and considered them as "Korean traitors."
South Korea once established a special committee to recover property left by Japanese collaborators in history. However, due to difficulties in obtaining evidence and the loss of historical documents, the work progressed slowly. According to JTBC, during the previous government, the litigation to recover such property was temporarily suspended. But after the Lee Jae-myung government took office, the relevant procedures were restarted.
