Gyeongmunhyeop Collected Copyright Fees to Transfer to North Korea
Repeatedly 'Re-deposited After Retrieval' to Prevent National Treasury Allocation
"No Unification" Im Jong-seok, from Establishment to Chairman
The Foundation for North-South Economic and Cultural Cooperation (Gyeongmunhyeop) has deposited copyright fees exceeding 3 billion won with the court to be paid to North Korea. Gyeongmunhyeop is a corporation led since its establishment by former Blue House Chief of Staff Lim Jong-seok, who recently sparked controversy with remarks suggesting acceptance of Kim Jong-un's 'two-state theory.'
According to data submitted by the Ministry of Unification to Kim Geon, a member of the National Assembly's Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee from the People Power Party, on the 23rd, Gyeongmunhyeop has deposited 3.096 billion won with the court from 2009 to this year under the name of North Korean copyright fees.
Under the inter-Korean copyright agreement, since 2005, Gyeongmunhyeop has collected copyright fees on behalf of broadcasters, including domestic terrestrial broadcasters, for North Korean works such as those from Korean Central TV. Until remittances were suspended following the strengthening of sanctions against the North after the 'Park Wang-ja murder incident' in July 2008, approximately 800 million won was delivered to the North.
Since then, starting in 2009, copyright fees have been deposited with the court, accumulating about 3.1 billion won in addition to the 800 million won already paid. To avoid the 'statute of limitations' on claims that arise after 10 years, the method of withdrawing the deposited funds and redepositing them has been used several times. This is to prevent the funds from reverting to the state treasury.
The copyright fees deposited with the court are considered 'North Korean assets' within South Korea. This is why, when the government filed a damages lawsuit against North Korea for blowing up the inter-Korean joint liaison office in June last year, the possibility of using the compensation money was raised.
In fact, in July 2020, the court ruled in favor of South Korean POWs who filed a damages lawsuit against North Korea and, separately from the main lawsuit, ordered Gyeongmunhyeop to pay compensation on behalf of the North. The court's intention was that the copyright fees, regarded as North Korean assets, should be seized and used as compensation. However, Gyeongmunhyeop appealed. Subsequently, the South Korean POWs filed a collection lawsuit, but both the first and appellate courts ruled in favor of Gyeongmunhyeop. Gyeongmunhyeop's position is that the copyright fees belong to the copyright holders (individuals), not the North Korean authorities.
The key figure who led the establishment of Gyeongmunhyeop and has led it for nearly 20 years is former Chief of Staff Lim Jong-seok. After serving as the second chairman, he was reappointed chairman in June 2020. During his second term, legal battles ensued over refusal to pay compensation to South Korean POWs. He resigned from the chairman position in January this year for 'personal reasons,' on the same day he registered as a preliminary candidate for Jung-gu and Seongdong-gu Gap in Seoul. He did not run in the general election due to the cut-off.
On the 20th, at the '6th Anniversary Ceremony of the September 19 Pyongyang Joint Declaration,' he stirred controversy by stating, "Let's not unify." In particular, he brought up Kim Jong-un's 'two-state theory,' saying, "Let's let go of the obsession that we must unify and accept two states." This implies amending the constitution to recognize North Korea as a 'state.'
There is strong backlash in the political sphere. The People Power Party views former Chief of Staff Lim's claims as 'sympathy with North Korea' and has been criticizing him daily. The Democratic Party of Korea has generally been reserved, but Senior Supreme Council Member Kim Min-seok pointed out, "If it were former President Kim Dae-jung, he would have persuaded Chairman Kim Jong-un rather than sympathizing with him."
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