We present a persistent soft-X-ray-induced insulator-to-metal transition at room temperature for VO2 thin films. Continuous soft X-ray irradiation renders the insulating electronic state metallic in the VO2 thin films, which has been found by photoemission spectroscopy measurement. The observed transition is irreversible and the metallic state persists when soft X-ray irradiation is stopped. The analysis of valence band spectra reveals that the density of states (DOS) of the V 3d band increases with irradiation time, while the DOS of the O 2p band decreases. We propose a simple model where the persistent insulator-to-metal transition is driven by oxygen desorption from VO2 thin films under soft X-ray irradiation. The present results will help in developing a new route for controlling the phase transition of VO2 by light. (C) 2014 The Japan Society of Applied Physics