Kim Geun-sik "'Shooting Defectors Is Justified' Praises Government... Are You Even Human?"

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] Professor Kim Geun-sik of Gyeongnam National University, chairman of the Seoul Songpa Party Committee of the People Power Party, criticized the attitude of supporters, calling them "inhumane Daekkaemoon (supporters of the president) who defend the government by saying that those who defect to North Korea should be shot without any problem."

On the 25th, Professor Kim said on Facebook, "Are you even human?"

He also criticized the military, government, and president, saying, "The South Korean military did nothing to save the citizens being shot and only watched the barbaric atrocity. Even after holding a late-night security-related ministerial meeting, the ministers reported the seriousness to the president but did not act, just watched the UN speech as it was, and only reported calmly the next morning. The commander-in-chief, after receiving reports of the citizens being shot and burned, proposed a declaration of the end of the war to the North and talked about clumsy peace, listening to acapella calmly. Is this normal? Is this a military, government, or country? Are you the president?"

Professor Kim criticized North Korea's barbarity, saying, "The North Korean army under Kim Jong-un treated and burned the South Korean citizens, unarmed civilians drifting at sea, as if they were infected with the coronavirus." He added, "North Korea, even after confirming their intention to defect to the North, shot and burned with gasoline the unarmed civilians drifting at sea from a distance while wearing gas masks and protective suits."

He emphasized, "If a person is drifting at sea, the priority and basic thing is to rescue them first. If they express their intention to defect to the North, the normal and basic procedure is to ask for their free will, then either accept their defection, forcibly deport them according to procedures, or repatriate them to the South."

Professor Kim said, "Even if unarmed civilians violate laws and regulations, they should never be shot under any circumstances. That is common sense and basic. Kim Jong-un is not even human, and North Korea is not a country."