'Useful Fools' Mocking Left-Wing Intellectuals
Ryu Woo-ik: "Fools Supporting Kim Jong-un's Reckless Acts"
Kim Young-ho, Minister of Unification, stated, "There are people in our society who take it upon themselves to act as cheerleaders, leading and responding to North Korea's anti-unification and anti-national acts." This is interpreted as criticism aimed at former Blue House Chief of Staff Lim Jong-seok, who recently advocated accepting North Korea's 'two-state theory' and argued, "Let's not unify."
Minister Kim made these remarks on the 25th during a congratulatory message read by Vice Minister Kim Soo-kyung at the donation ceremony for the Inter-Korean Cooperation Fund held at the annex of the Government Seoul Office for the 'Gathering of People Thinking About Unification.'
Minister Kim also said, "As a result of ignoring universal values such as freedom and human rights, we have witnessed cases in history where people have become 'useful idiots'." The term 'useful idiot' is well known as a phrase used by Vladimir Lenin, the first supreme leader of the former Soviet Union. It referred to politicians and intellectuals in Western countries who responded to Soviet propaganda and agitation. It meant those who helped spread Soviet propaganda in Western societies and contributed to the overthrow of liberal democratic systems. Nowadays, it is mainly used to criticize left-wing intellectuals who sympathize with socialism despite knowing the anti-democratic nature of communism.
Minister Kim also criticized North Korea for showing behavior aimed at solidifying the 'hostile two-state theory,' while the government steadily prepares for unification by establishing the Day of North Korean Defectors and announcing the August 15 Unification Doctrine this year. He emphasized, "What we must clearly recognize is that the 'two-state theory' can never bring peace to the Korean Peninsula," and added, "The only way to establish true peace on the Korean Peninsula is unification."
Ryu Woo-ik, former Minister of Unification, who attended the donation ceremony that day, also criticized former Chief of Staff Lim Jong-seok. He raised his voice, saying, "North Korea's Kim Jong-un denies that we are the same people, insists on hostile two states, and stubbornly refuses unification," and "There are foolish people who sympathize with such reckless behavior."
Former Chief of Staff Lim Jong-seok sparked controversy by stating in his keynote speech at the 6th anniversary ceremony of the September 19 Joint Declaration on the 19th, "Let's not unify," and arguing, "We should accept the objective reality and accept two states."
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