South Korean President Roh Moo Hyun announced Aug. 15, the day his country celebrates liberation from Japanese occupation, that the legislature would form a special commission to investigate who benefited under Japanese rule. The call for such an inquiry is understandable: The occupation was a dark and difficult time for Koreans. Understanding its impact and implications are critical as the country moves forward and its democracy matures. But South Korea's leaders must ensure that the investigation is an honest and nonpartisan inquiry that illuminates the past without becoming a witch hunt. It is a fine line, but one that must be respected if the commission is to heal the nation.

Japan colonized the Korean Peninsula from 1910 to 1945. Imperial rule was harsh and cruel, aimed at extracting as many resources -- including labor -- as possible. While there can be no denying Japan's responsibility for the occupation and its consequences, South Koreans have been reluctant to acknowledge that the occupiers had help from many Koreans.

A thorough and honest assessment of that history has been delayed for fear of uncovering links between the Grand National Party (GNP), which governed South Korea for much of the postwar era, and the Japanese regime. Mr. Roh, a longtime member of the opposition, has no such concerns about what the past might reveal. In other words, the maturation of Korean democracy has created conditions that allow unblinkered scrutiny of the past. The task now is to facilitate further democratization -- not abuse it.