It started Sunday when Unification Minister, former Uri Party head and newly appointed diplomacy-security-re-unification czar Chung Dong-young decided it would be best to issue a statement of “regret” over the lull in intra-Korean relations:
“I regret that at the foundation of the lull in the intra-Korean relationship are the condolence (for late North Korean leader Kim Il-sung) issue and airlift of North Korean defectors to South Korea.”
Actually, for some odd reason, Yonhap has a slightly different version of what he said:
It’s regretful that dialogue between the intra-Korean authorities has been temporarily suspended because of misunderstandings over the condolence issue and airlift of North Korean defectors to South Korea.”
Well, six of one, half dozen of the other. I had no problem with issuing a statement of regret — it’s is regretful, after all, that intra-Korean relations are at a standstill because the North Koreans are, as usual, acting like jerks. I also managed to get a chuckle out of this:
Chung held his first interview with the press after becoming the head of the National Security Council and said, “Although official talks have ceased for a while, support for the North, intra-Korean economic cooperation and civilian exchanges are going well.”
Hey, he said it, not me. It was this statement on NGOs involved in assisting North Korean refugees, however, that really threw me:
Concerning the defector issue, Chung said, “For South Korean NGOs involved in assisting defectors to go beyond helping defectors and induce or encourage defection from the North does not coincide with the policies of intra-Korean reconciliation and may adversely affect relations between the two Koreas… We ask for restraint.”
Now, as far as Uri Party guys are concerned, I kind of like Chung — aside from his little “old folk comment” toward the end of the general election campaign, he’s generally come off as a reasonable sort of chap. I don’t particularly like the fact that he’s been given so much say over diplomatic and security issues, as I’m not quite sure he knows anything about said concerns, but still, he’s not a bad guy. This comment, however, simply baffled me. I mean, first off, it’s not like these groups have been advertising defection tourism packages on North Korean TV. As for “encouraging” and “inducing” refugees to come to the South, what would Chung suggest NGOs do? Tell refugees to go back to North Korea? Conveniently forget to inform them that as citizens of the Republic of Korea, they have just as much right to make a life for themselves in the South as does Chung?
Anyway, I might have ignored Chung’s statement if it weren’t for Foreign Minister Ban’s outrageous comments Monday that ran pretty much along the same lines:
The government is making swift changes in its policy to unlimitedly allow North Korean defectors to come to South Korea. Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon said during a meeting with the ministry’s senior officials Monday, “It is very troublesome that non-governmental organizations shift responsibility on the government when they face difficulties in handling the North Korean defector issue.”
It gets worse:
According to Foreign Ministry spokesperson Shin Bong-kil, Minister Ban said at the meeting, “It is difficult for the government?????s diplomatic officials to limitlessly take responsibility for North Korean defectors who roam around China and enter neighboring countries.” “It is impossible for 765 diplomats residing abroad to take care of the safety of 6 million Korean people living abroad and Korean overseas travelers whose numbers amount to 7 million a year. The Foreign Ministry has to set realistic goals now.”
Is it just me, or does the Foreign Minister actually sound pissed off at the defectors for making nuisances of themselves rather than staying in the big collective prison otherwise known as the DPRK and eating grass? This shouldn’t surprise me, really, given the fact that if the Kim Sun-il kidnapping/murder hearings in the National Assembly have taught us anything, it’s that the Foreign Ministry is pretty much loath to get off its ass to do anything, regardless of whether the citizens in distress carry legal ROK passports or not. Given how the Foreign Ministry does just about next to nothing for defectors unless it’s embarrassed into action by South Korean NGOs or host governments, however, I simply can’t imagine how it could set its goals any more “realistically.”
If I might issue a word of advice to Ban, it’s that if your diplomats are overworked, perhaps they might consider leaving the 6 million Koreans living abroad (Korean: jaewe dongpo) — most of whom, unlike the defectors, are citizens of nations other than the Republic of Korea — outside their sphere of special interest. One Robert Kim was quite enough, thank you.
In connection with Minister Ban’s remarks, a government official said. “The government’s stance is that it is troublesome if NGOs plan massive defections of North Korean people and get in the way of the intra-Korean dialogue, which is going smoothly.”
And the only reason the defector issue has become an issue in the intra-Korean dialogue is because Seoul has allowed Pyongyang to make it one.
19 Comments
A don’t like Chung much at all. He just seems like such a greasy, opportunistic, seudo communist. Not to mention his old people shouldn’t bother to vote comment. Also, if this is the way he acts from pressure from NK, he might even make a worse President than Roh.
I am astonished at this administration’s response to the NK defector issue. They critisize NGO’s for doing what the government should be doing- helping NK defectors. I can at least understand (but not agree) that SK might not want to publicly support defection but they shouldn’t public discourage it. Then the administration critisized the NGOs for not taking responsibility for the NK defectors when they get to SK- another government responsibility. On that same day the Choson Ilbo ran a story about an NGO group planning to make a NK defector village to house 100 NK defector families. The NGO’s are helping the NK defectors financially- the job of the government.
The SK government has the responsibility to help NK defectors and I believe encourage them. If not, at least say nothing about the issue- SK is use to this and has been its previous policy on the issue. Don’t actually discourage NK defectors. If this is the way South Korea will act towards North Korean defectors, how will they react to unification?
I really think that years in the future when Korea re-unifies, former North Koreans are going to find out what the SK government did- turn its back on human rights and NK defectors and there will be some pretty pissed off former NK people. The fact that most former NK will be the manual labor making much less money than the average SK white collar worker will help feul this anger.
“You mean you South Koreans knew North Koreans were being tortured, killed, and starved and South Koreans didn’t say or do anything about it!!!”
“The SK government knew about these crimes against humanity and discouraged North Korean defectors!!!”
It’s kind of interesting to note that progressive democracy - the movement away from the authoritarian past - in the South witnesses the government turning its back on North Korean breathren suffering under a much worse authoritarian regime. All this while the nation the same government is distancing itself from in the name of forming a “more equal relationship” is moving toward accepting numerous North Korean refuges.
You might have carried a favorable opinion of Chung Dong-young but I have not. Ever since I saw him crying his eyes out during the impeachment affair I thought he was a moron. Continuously I seem to be proven right. I have no idea how he got to the position(s) he now holds other than to imagine he is being groomed to be the next face on the Uri party platform.
He is way too soft on North Korea. He is way too hard on the refugees. He seems to know little about the NGO’s assisting them and his comments reflect that.
I’d say he should go back to reporting news but honestly, I don’t want to see his face there either.
The Roh administration is morally bankrupt, and statements like Chung made are proof of that. Sure, it’s easier to take “responsibility” for, say, Michelle Wie than actual Korean nationals who “roam around China,” but since the defectors are legally South Korean citizens, maybe Chung should suck it up and do his job. Christ it’s infuriating–the great satan U.S. passes measures to help N.K. defectors, and regardless of what cynics say, that’s infinitely more compassion than what the so-called brothers in the South have done.
Anybody find the hypocracy in the Korean govrenement absolving themselves of any responsibility when its comes to their citizens, and then demanding uber-responsiblity when it comes to other govrenments.
You guys are too hard on the Uri Party and the overworked diplomats. How can they deal with hungry North Koreans roaming around China when there are still junior high school textbooks from Slovenia to Manitoba that refer to the East Sea as the Sea of Japan?!
Who has killed and tortured more Koreans? The Japanese during their colonization periods or the North Koreans since the armistice of 53?
— Who has killed and tortured more Koreans? The Japanese during their colonization periods or the North Koreans since the armistice of 53?
The same is true of the PRC. Not to let the Japanese off the hook, but two or three more Chinese have been killed in PEACETIME by the communist regime than perished in Japan’s 1931-45 predatory war. This is not counting the million men Mao squandered in the dubious project of saving Kim Il-sung’s ass.
SORRY: “Not to let the Japanese off the hook, but two or three TIMES more Chinese have been killed in PEACETIME ….”
yeah Slim we won’t let them off the hook, but it is strange IMO the way everyone immediately jumps on the bandwagon and points out the brutality of the Japanese as if that somehow equals the score.
It’s one of those set discussion points that someone always has to bring up.
I remember when prez Kim Dae Jung out of the blue said something like “Kim Jong Il is a leader with wise insight” or something to that effect. It was just so absurd people didn’t know what to think. He said so during what would later be revealed to have been the period when Park Jie Won et al were negotiating with the North about the summit, and he needed to say something publicly to encouage confidence. When the summit happened, it all made sense and for all KDJ is blamed with, people don’t take issue with that particular statment (granted, there’s so much out there).
I’m just reeeeeally hoping Chung and Ban know something the rest of us don’t. Otherwise…. well… they may be remembered for their recent statements.
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