Yoo Si-min "Enlightened Monarch"... Lee Nak-yeon "Cremation" Controversy Over Ruling Party Remarks
Citizens "Does Apology Change the Fact of Killing the People?"
Opposition Criticizes "Just Empty Words"
Resolution Condemning North Korea Fails... People Power Party Protests Outside Parliament
[Asia Economy reporters Han Seung-gon and Kang Joo-hee] Citizens' outrage continues over remarks made by ruling party figures regarding the incident in which a North Korean soldier shot and killed a South Korean public official.
Yoo Si-min, chairman of the People’s Life Foundation and former labor activist, compared Chairman Kim to an "enlightened monarch," while Lee Nak-yeon, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, and progressive broadcaster Kim Eo-jun used the term "cremation" in reference to the public official who was shot and killed. In addition, some ruling party figures have given positive evaluations of Chairman Kim’s apology, calling it "unprecedented" and suggesting that "inter-Korean relations could unexpectedly improve."
Despite the tragedy of a South Korean citizen being shot dead by North Korean soldiers, Chairman Kim’s single apology appears to have swiftly softened the previously hardline stance. Criticism is mounting that the government and ruling party are overly defending North Korea, focusing more on calming the fallout than on investigating the truth or preventing recurrence of the incident.
Earlier, on the 25th, Chairman Kim sent a letter of apology regarding the incident to the Blue House. According to the Blue House, Chairman Kim expressed regret, saying, "I am deeply sorry for causing great disappointment to President Moon Jae-in and the people of the South."
Following the release of North Korea’s letter, some within the ruling party responded positively to Chairman Kim’s apology.
On the 25th, at the 13th anniversary event of the October 4 Inter-Korean Summit Declaration held on the foundation’s official YouTube channel, Chairman Yoo described the letter from Chairman Kim as "good news in that some progress we hoped for has been made," and characterized Kim Jong-un’s leadership style as different from before, likening him to an "enlightened monarch." An enlightened monarch refers to a ruler influenced by Enlightenment thinkers who pursues rational and reformist governance.
Lee Nak-yeon, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is speaking at a discussion hosted by the Broadcast Journalists Club held at the Artist Center in Yangcheon-gu, Seoul on the 23rd. Photo by Yonhap News.
Meanwhile, Lee Nak-yeon expressed regret over North Korea’s killing of the South Korean public official but used the term "cremation." On the 27th, in a post on his Facebook page, Lee referred to the Ministry of National Defense’s speculation that North Korean soldiers burned the missing official’s body, stating, "There is a difference between the existing announcements from the South and North regarding whether the body was cremated." When criticized for mentioning "cremation," Lee’s office dismissed the criticism, saying, "He was speaking within the broader framework of proposing a joint investigation to determine whether the body was burned and damaged, whether it can be found, and whether joint recovery is possible."
Earlier, broadcaster Kim Eo-jun also said on his TBS Radio program "Kim Eo-jun’s News Factory" on the 25th, "They fired shots at sea, something never heard of before, and then ‘cremated’ the body, didn’t they?"
Additionally, Lee In-young, Minister of Unification, attending an urgent briefing at the National Assembly’s Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee on the same day, noted the letter from North Korea, saying, "We are paying attention to the fact that the response came very quickly. North Korea has expressed regret a few times before, but the specific expression of ‘sorry’ has only been used twice until now." He added, "It is unprecedented that the word ‘sorry’ was mentioned twice in one letter. I evaluate this as exceptional."
Democratic Party lawmaker Yoon Gun-young appeared on MBC Radio’s "Kim Jong-bae’s Focus" on the 28th, stating, "In the past 10 years, has there ever been an official apology from North Korea for incidents where tensions between the two Koreas peaked? This is the first time." He also emphasized, "Has the highest leader of North Korea ever apologized to the citizens of the Republic of Korea since the division? This is also the first time."
Fellow party member Seol Hoon even claimed that this incident "could unexpectedly create an opportunity for improved inter-Korean relations," arguing, "If the North naturally apologizes and says, ‘We were not fully aware of the situation. We are sorry,’ inter-Korean relations could surprisingly improve."
Despite the horrific situation where a South Korean citizen was killed by North Korean soldiers, some ruling party figures’ defense of North Korea has drawn criticism from citizens who say they cannot understand such remarks.
A 27-year-old office worker A said, "The ruling party figures’ tendency to side with North Korea applies without exception even to the North that killed our citizens," adding, "Just because North Korea apologized does not change the fact that our citizens were killed by North Korea. Who exactly is the government and ruling party on the side of? Their remarks make me question whether this is really our government."
Another office worker B expressed anger, saying, "Isn’t the president and lawmakers supposed to be there for the people? Our citizens died and went through a terrible ordeal of being burned. Is it something to be happy about just because there was an apology? Can these people still be called representatives who care for the people?"
Joo Ho-young, floor leader of the People Power Party, is holding a solo protest in front of the Blue House Fountain in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on the 27th, urging a fact-finding investigation into North Korea's atrocity of killing our citizens. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@
Criticism toward the government and ruling party is also pouring in from the political sphere.
Bae Jun-young, spokesperson for the People Power Party, said in a statement on the 27th regarding Lee’s "cremation" remark, "North Korea said they set fire to floating debris, and our government said North Korea burned the body for quarantine purposes. No one ever said the body was buried." He added, "This choice of words clearly shows how much the ruling party leadership is trying to distort and cover up this incident."
Hong Kyung-hee, chief deputy spokesperson for the People’s Party, criticized in a statement on the 26th, calling it "a pathetic act that ignores public sentiment," and said, "The slave mentality of complaining as if the apology they received was a favor after being unjustly beaten does not help solve the problem."
On the 27th, lawmaker Kim Ki-hyun posted on his Facebook, "Killing unarmed civilians is a crime against humanity prohibited even in wartime," and criticized, "The rotten pro-North faction’s mental victory, who make a fuss calling the criminal an ‘enlightened monarch,’ ‘unprecedented,’ or ‘good news,’ is worthy of being recorded in the Guinness World Records."
Meanwhile, former Dongyang University professor Jin Joong-kwon wrote on his Facebook the same day, "Improving inter-Korean relations is important, but more important is the lives of our citizens," adding, "So far, only a letter from the United Front Department has been received; I understand there has been no official apology from the North Korean government or head of state. In that sense, a resolution condemning North Korea should be adopted."
Meanwhile, the adoption of a National Assembly resolution condemning North Korea related to this incident appears to have effectively failed.
Originally, the ruling and opposition parties planned to hold a plenary session on the 28th to process the resolution condemning North Korea. The People Power Party demanded an urgent government inquiry to uncover the truth of the incident, but the Democratic Party rejected it, preventing an agreement. Earlier, the Democratic Party had pushed for the adoption of the resolution but has not actively pursued it since Chairman Kim’s apology.
In response, on the 27th, the People Power Party held a relay one-person protest in front of the Blue House fountain, demanding a thorough investigation of the incident and direct explanation and apology from President Moon.
Floor leader Joo Ho-young said, "Urgent inquiries have been held multiple times on matters of national importance or public interest, and the Democratic Party also demanded many when they were in opposition," adding, "They do not have the authority to decide whether it is a political dispute or not, and what the public needs to know should be revealed through opposition questions."
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