President Yoon Suk Yeol has expressed frustration over the recent controversy surrounding when should be South Korea's national founding day, saying it is an issue that does no good for people's livelihoods. The controversy began after Yoon appointed Kim Hyoung-suk, a figure accused of harboring pro-Japanese views, as the new president of the Independence Hall of Korea. Kim's past remarks alleging South Korea came into being when its government was established in 1948 led to suspicions his appointment was a precursor to designating Aug. 15, 1948, as national foundation day. The question of when South Korea came into being has long been a subject of ideological debate, with some arguing it was April 11, 1919, when a provisional government was established during Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula. "What good is this to the people who are struggling to make ends meet?" Yoon was quoted as recently telling his aides, referring to the controversy. The main opposition Democratic Party and the Heritage of Korean Independence, a state-funded association of independence fighters and their descendants, have vowed to boycott the Aug. 15 Liberation Day ceremony hosted by the government unless the appointment is withdrawn. "The government and the presidential office have never mentioned a national foundation day, nor have they tried to push for it," a different presidential official told Yonhap News Agency. Source: Yonhap News Agency