The main opposition Democratic Party (DP) on Tuesday urged the labor minister nominee to step down voluntarily, a day after he said that Koreans during Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule were regarded as Japanese nationals.During Monday's confirmation hearing, nominee Kim Moon-soo said that the nationality of Koreans during the colonial rule was Japanese, sticking to a controversial remark he made years ago that critics say denies the view that the country was founded in 1919 with the establishment of a provisional government."Our country was destroyed during the Japanese colonial period, how could there be such a thing as (Korean) nationality?" Kim said during the hearing. "Our country was completely taken over and forcibly incorporated into Japan."On Tuesday, DP floor leader Park Chan-dae denounced Kim's views, calling him the "worst anti-state figure under the Yoon Suk Yeol administration beyond redemption.""Kim should step down voluntarily today if he wants to preserve any shred of honor as a former l abor activist who fought during the harshest of times," he said.Delivering a lecture at a church in 2018, Kim said he cannot agree to the view that the country was founded in 1919, questioning why there was an independence movement had there been a country during the colonial period.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 colonial rule.Korea achieved independence on Aug. 15, 1945, following Japan's surrender in World War II.During Monday's hearing, Kim also said former President Park Geun-hye's impeachment was "wrong and will be reevaluated historically."Source: Yonhap News Agency