Jeez, this man gets no respect. The good professor has apparently learned that the North Koreans have termed him a “wobbler” (the bird), meaning “a person who cannot be trusted.” Novelist Hwang Seok-young told the Joongang Ilbo that during a recent conversation with Song, the professor told him that during the course of his investigation, he learned of the North’s less-than-stellar opinion of the dissident scholar via material presented to him by those lovable folk from the NIS. Hwang goes on to say that he told Song, who was bitter at this revelation, to renounce his views.
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I haven’t checked out the Chosun account yet - I just picked this one off of Naver, and figured it was slightly more interesting than the Daily Sports account of Chun Doo-hwan’s Jindo dogs getting auctioned off. And thanks for the definition of “wobbler” - a was wondering why the North would condemn such a cute little bird, which in any case is called a “warbler,” not wobbler. I should have done a better job, but my woman was rushing me off the computer to go see “The Italian Job,” which is probably worth seeing even though Edward Norton sleeps through the entire film.
Knew you’d get a kick out of the new decor - and I’m sure the boys at NIS and Cybercrimes will like it, too.
Once, when we happened to be traveling in Norway above the Artic Circle, Hwang told me his many stories about the (was it) twoish years in the North. Met KIS 20+ times. I also suspect Song and Hwang met on more than a few occasions while Hwang was in exile in Berlin for two years.
Anyway, I was surprised at how being called a “wobbler” by the Northerners is something that would be reported in the Chosun Ilbo, because it makes Song look a little better than he might otherwise. But then I remembered that the Chosun has a certain paternal love for Hwang, since among other things he made his literary debut in their pages.
As you may see from the Chosun article, “wobbler” is a translation of hoesaek bunja (??흸????쨋????). To wobble is “to waver or vacillate in one’s opinions or feelings.” I think the term was used in American English a lot in the thirties. AS you can see by hoesaek, the idea is someone who is not black and or white, someone who isn’t clearly red and with the party…. etc.
If Song takes Hwang’s advice and recants everything, I’ll bet Radio Pyongyang is going to call him a lot more than just a wobbler.
PS: Way nice makeover of the site. Hope you don’t get arrested.