[The Editors' Verdict] Myeolgong Must Continue

[Asia Economy] Jung Yong-jin, Vice Chairman of Shinsegae Group, recently posted "I hate the Communist Party" on social media, bringing the term "Myeolgong" (eradication of communism) back into public discourse.

The opposition parties supported Myeolgong, while the ruling parties dismissed it as an old-fashioned colorism argument. When a boycott movement against Shinsegae-related products emerged, young people responded with a purchasing campaign, asserting that "Myeolgong is the right thing."

Myeolgong means "to eradicate communist forces." Communism is also one of the ideologies. Ideology is a complex of ideas that interpret and evaluate human and social phenomena and serve as fundamental guidelines for problem-solving.

Ideologies contain a mixture of truth and falsehood, objectivity and subjectivity. Ideology began with human consciousness, and existing ideologies are replaced by new ones. There are ideologies beneficial to humans and society, and there are harmful ideologies. In other words, the law of superiority and inferiority applies to ideologies. History has proven that communism is a malignant ideology.

The history of communism has left us with significant lessons. Namely, "that ideology was the most captivating in history but became the most destructive and inhumane when realized," and that in countries advocating communism, freedom disappeared and dictatorship prevailed.

However, dismissing Myeolgong as mere colorism to conceal the brutality of communism denies the lessons of history. Orwell warned in "Animal Farm" that "the most effective way to destroy a people is to deny their history." We must reflect on whether we have too easily forgotten this warning.

The timing of Myeolgong's resurgence is also noteworthy. Recently, signs of communism's revival have become clear in China. There are also many concerns that the government's ambiguous stance on communism might be exploited as a spark for the revival of communism domestically.

Attempts by the ruling party to weaken the National Security Act, neglect of pardons and parole for heads of national intelligence agencies, and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's compensation for damages disguised as sacrifices by the military and police instead of by the North Korean People's Army can all be seen as potential sparks.

Ideologies inevitably spread. The sparks of harmful ideologies must be extinguished, and good ideologies should be fostered. This is a necessary condition for historical progress. Myeolgong, which eradicates the harmful ideology of communism, functions as a driving force for progress.

At this juncture, the wrongly imprinted standards of conservatism and progressivism in our society must be corrected. It should be made clear that anti-communism (反共), opposing communism, is progressivism, not reactionary conservatism, and that pro-communism or pro-North Korea (容共·親共), tolerating communism, is not the subject of progress but the subject of regression.

The spark of Myeolgong, raised by Vice Chairman Jung despite the risks of boycott, must be kept alive. Especially in the context of the division of the Korean Peninsula, Myeolgong is not only valid but also a precious value for free unification. In other words, Myeolgong is a path for historical progress beyond simply responding to Vice Chairman Jung's courage and cry. It is encouraging that the 2030 generation is voluntarily joining the "torch of Myeolgong" and leading the issue.

However, it cannot be left to the 2030 generation alone. Now, all generations must join hands with the 2030 generation and raise the "torch of Myeolgong" together for historical progress. Only then can we pioneer the path of proper historical progress and prepare the way for free unification.

Jo Young-gi, Chairman of the Advanced Unification Research Group, Korea Peninsula Advancement Foundation