The Daily NK spoke with 24-year old Ryu Seon-min, the student body president of Jeonnam National University and the chairman of the preparatory committee of Hanchongnyeon, the Korea Federation of University Student Councils.
Ordinarily, I wouldn’t waste time translating Hanchongnyeon’s crap, but this interview was so over-the-top it was worth translating for the entertainment value alone. You can’t make up material like this, children.
About the North Korean nuclear issue:
We must look at North Korea’s nukes from the viewpoint of the Korean race… North Korea’s nuclear weapons give our people a deterrent to war; because of North Korea’s nukes, peace can continue on the Korean Peninsula and we can live free from worry.
About North Korea’s Songun Policy:
The Songun Policy can keep the peace on the Korean Peninsula and block the threat of war… Because of North Korea’s strong war deterrent, the United States can’t easily mess with the Korean Peninsula.”
Asked about the North Korean human rights issue, he responded, “Is there a basis (for raising the issue)?” He explained, “It’s an issue only if the people in North Korea feel there are human rights issues. It’s not something for the outside to say.”
When Daily NK said that some 10,000 North Korean defectors might attest to the seriousness of the North Korean human rights situation, Ryu said, “I went to the Kumgang Mountains and met North Koreans, and I didn’t hear them say there was a human rights problem [in North Korea].”
He’s not a huge fan of defectors, anyway:
North Korean defectors say there are human rights problems in North Korea, but I can’t believe them. U.S. human rights groups maneuver and make the defectors lie. The United States schemes to encourage “malicious” defections, giving lots of money to human rights groups to operate along the Chinese border.
He added later:
We must correct our perspective on the North Korean human rights issue (note: translation corrected)… People living in North Korea take pride in the Songun Policy, and if they think that in order to keep that policy, it’s OK that they eat a little less and wear a little less, you can’t view the problems that arise from that as a human rights issue.
The funny thing is the Daily NK reporter, Kim Song-a, is the same age as Ryu. Kim comments, however, that Ryu seems caught up in the argument of 20 years ago, and that his “386″ generation seniors should probably reflect on whether this way of thinking Ryu’s problem alone.
Read the entire interview on your own.
UPDATE: Antti has a fuller translation up at Hunjang’s.
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Sad and pathetic, isn’t it?
I don’t know why South Korea just doesn’t open up the emigration to North Korea. Give them a free one way ticket even.
This guy’s from the Cholla province, a traditional hot bed of leftism and anti-governmentism. In fairness, I think the traditional Korean prejudice against Cholla people also tend to breed some real kooks. Discrimination and disfranchisement tend to drive people to extremism – not too much unlike African Americans joining Black Power Muslim groups.
Cholla: the epicenter of Korean racist hate. This interview is essentially the same as the interview of a deluded American neo-nazi teen defending Hitler’s Germany. You all know that this is the same guy who harasses international couples on the street and talks a lot about ‘pure blood of the Korean volk”. My utter contempt for you, traitor Ryu Sonmin.
I know a lot of people disagree, but my view is: ChunDoo Hwan did not kill enough of these primitive Cholla mouthbreathers. All of them should have been sent to Vietnam to fight and die in hopeless battles to improve above “pure blood”.
brainwashing victim
He drank the Kool-Aid… and came back for seconds.
Yeah, maybe if you keep the bastard GIs in country…
But, if you have your way and ship them out…..the US could fairly easily bomb the heck out of the nuke stuff and say “na-na-boo-boo” to Pyongyang —— and then fake suprise when your genetically similar kinfolk up North start retaliating at the target they can hit and possibly get away with —– Seoul and SK…
I’m sorry to break it to you Hugh, but Korean racism knows no regional bounds. It’s probably highest in North Korea.
In all fairness to Cholla province, I’ve heard all these arguments before, from the American and European left. A professor, explaining in 1973 why Czechoslovakia was “free and democratic”. “Well, you know, their vision of democracy is a bit different from ouw own.” (This after the 1968 “Prague Srping”) This same professor, three years later, after I introduced him to a Czech student who had just left her country and expressed a bitingly opposite view. “Well, you know, her opinions would be different. That’s probably why our state department approved her visa.”
Ryu’s problem is not that he’s Korean, or from South Cholla. His problem is that he a “perfected idiot” who has studied long and hard to become so.
Slightly more complete translation of the interview is over at Hanjung-ui Karuchim.
Thanks for the link Haisan. This guy is really pathetic and his completely rote thinking must come from some of his teachers, which says something about the very sad state of education in Korean colleges (outside of the sciences).
KJI: “You have learned well, Grasshopper.”
I can’t decide whether he’s just a naive young man blinded by his ambitions, or a shrewd propagandist trying to pull the wool over the eyes of his fellow students.
10000 won says he either moves to the U.S. himself within 5 years or he has immediate family members living there now.
Hugh—The people in the Jeolla provinces are some of the warmest, friendliest folk in Korea. I’m not a huge fan of the regional politics, and I’m certainly no friend of useful idiots like Hanchongnyeon, but Jeolla-do is certainly NOT the “epicenter of Korean racist hate.” Yes, there’s a strong anti-American streak down there, but it’s much more political than personal. I lived in Gwangju for a year, and I’m always traveling in the region, and I’ve had nothing but very pleasant experiences. In fact, I’d even say that on an inter-personal level, it’s easier to get along down there than in the “pro-American” Gyeongsang provinces. Yes, Gyeongsang-do is GNP country, and many of the locals there would throw themselves in front of American tanks if USFK ever announced a withdrawal, but it’s also by far the most culturally conservative region on the Korean Peninsula, and if you’re going to get harassed anywhere by locals for dating/marrying a local girl, it’s in Gyeongsang-do, not Jeolla-do. Don’t get me wrong. I love Gyeongsang-do, especially Gyeongsangbuk-do (where I spent my first three years in Korea)—I love the atmosphere, I admire their respect for tradition and would like to return to the province one day. But if you’re looking for Korean “rednecks,” you’re better off searching in Daegu and Andong than Gwangju and Jeonju.
The difference between Jeolla and Gyeonsang is that the former would really like to be left alone to pick theiur toes in the paddy fields, while the latter want everything there is to be had from The US gratis and with no strings attached. Interestingly, the large number of denizens of the former now resident in the Duchy of Seoul, together with the significant number of govt officials with roots in Jeolla, all now subscribe to a a version of the Gyeonsang creed (of gimmee).
You can find them (Korean university students) in US colleges earning higher degrees, studying here for years, who are in the same ballpark as these guys.
And, like dogbertt said, 20 to 1 he has either lived and studied in the US or will sometime before he’s 35.
You will also find a smaller percentage of American college students who will bend over backwards to give these Hanchongryon students the “relative” benefit of the doubt – or agree with them wholeheartedly…
[quote=dogbertt]
Posted January 30, 2007 at 12:49 pm | Permalink
10000 won says he either moves to the U.S. himself within 5 years or he has immediate family members living there now.[/quote]
No doubt. Do you remember the “Flower of Unification” 임수경? Last time I looked, she was studying in the US at UC Berkley or somewhere in California. Life as a Hanchongnyeon hypocrite activist/Nork tool must be good. May they choke on their next bite of Big Mac.
Robert, I’ve lived down here in Gwangju for 3 years. I think people are generaly friendlier here than elswhere. Being an American (or being white – folk don’t seem to make any distinction between the two here) is not a great problem, most people are happy and friendly towards me. But going out with my gyopo girlfriend on the other hand elicits a very different vibe. The women couldn’t care less, but the good ol boys don’t like it one little bit. I’ve had quite a few incidents where an ajosshi has told my girlfriend off, the latest one just last night at a kimbap house. Taxi drivers, when by myself, are usually right up for a chat. With the girlfriend on hand they became sullen or outright hostile. Not sure if thats the score elswhere in Korea but it seems to be the way of things down here.
I also had my opinion of the place colored by an incident late last year when one of my friends was put in a coma by a bunch of Koreans who bashed him until he was knocked out then kicked him repeatedly in the head while he was lying on the ground. I won’t get into that because I’ll start ranting, but the way the cops and media handled it was disgusting. It wouldn’t have been out of place in Mississipi 50 years ago.
I also had my opinion of the place colored by an incident late last year when one of my friends was put in a coma by a bunch of koreans who bashed him until he was knocked out then kicked him repeatedly in the head while he was lying on the ground. I won’t get into that because i’ll start ranting, but the way the cops and media handled it was disgusting. It wouldn’t have been out of place in mississipi 50 years ago.
Korea is certainly not a place where you will ever have a fair fight. Never one on one or five on five etc. Koreans always need to be numerically stronger and if you ever hit the ground it’s a given that they’ll lay in with the boots. Real bad asses.
I’ve got an idea and I hope someone here can help me out: Chonnam Uni has a small magazine that runs articles by students and teachers. I wouldn’t mind writing one about the whole Hanchongnyeon pro-NK student movement thing (I believe Hanchongnyeon was responsible for torturing a police informer to death in 1997 at Chonnam campus too). I’d realy like to get stuck into this twit. What I realy want is some good material about the reasons behind student radicalism in SK so I can turn the spotlight back onto these people.
I’m thinking Prof. Lee In-ho’s Royal Asiatic Society lecture on “rewriting Korean history” would be a good place to start. I’ve checked the old link – it’s gone. Does anyone have a copy of that speech? Robert? I watched it when you first posted the link – here – http://www.rjkoehler.com/2007/.....-download/ – and it was brilliant, but is has now been replaced by the latest lecture.
If anyone has this speech, could they please send it to me, or re-post it, or tell me where i can find it? It’d be a great help.
Ok, forget that request, I’m a sneaky genius, I just saved the new royal asiatic society video link address and changed the date at the end to the old lecture date (http://digest.korea.com/media/en/500k_Ras_1128.wmv), nov 28th, then punched it into the browser. Voila, old lecture. Worth another watch.
try again:
http://digest.korea.com/media/en/500k_Ras_1114.wmv
She lost her 9 year old son in 2005 during an English language camp… in Sebu, Philippines of all places. The kid drowned in a swimming pool. She got married in 1995 while attending J-School at Sogang [a Commie attending a Catholic school, right], and divorced in 1999. She got the kid, too, go figure. Oh, and in 1995, she was involved in the commemoration for pastor Moon Ik Hwan, another commie in robes. She prolly has a thang for religious people.
usinkorea, help me to understand the logic … the US military is stationed here to protect Korea from … the US military?
Regardless, this juche sh*ite is REAL tired. This section of the Left doesn’t understand that nationalism is a dead end, that some of the beautiful, brilliant people who met in Kenya last week were discussing Korea, and they didn’t once mention KJI.
Yawn, student radicals making the news? Is this kid any different from some beardy Trotskyite out of Berkeley or anti-globalisation anarcho-wannabe from Melbourne Uni? In a few years he’ll grow up, realise what a twat he was, burn his party card and start making money. In short, the left here is an irrelevancy whose time has quickly come and gone. Bring on the next general election and GNP president.
“Jeolla-do is certainly NOT the “epicenter of Korean racist hate.” Yes, there’s a strong anti-American streak down there, but it’s much more political than personal. I lived in Gwangju for a year, and I’m always traveling in the region, and I’ve had nothing but very pleasant experiences. In fact, I’d even say that on an inter-personal level, it’s easier to get along down there than in the “pro-American” Gyeongsang provinces.”…”if you’re going to get harassed anywhere by locals for dating/marrying a local girl, it’s in Gyeongsang-do, not Jeolla-do.”
My in-laws are from Jeolla, Kwangju to be exact, and they are incredibly down to earth…and I mean the whole lot, the cousins, the uncles and the aunts. And they certainly aren’t racist or xenophobic. Heck, one of my wife’s cousins is already married to a Thai businessman and two others grew up in the US.
Hugh, cm, are you guys Koreans rooted from Kyong Sang Do? Don’t believe everything your grandfather or your father says.
I would be rooted from Choong Chung Do.
With most of the Korean born Koreans having grown up in Seoul, I highly doubt young Koreans have much valid experience to say anything meaningful based on experiences.
Every country happens to have a region that won’t submit easily to whoever captured ruling power.
Scotland in Great Britain.
The South in the US.
Jeolla Do in Korea.
Sending all of them to die in Vietnam is kind of an strong, offensive statement to me, because I have a relative from Choong Chung Do, who served for the ROK in Vietnam. He went because he wanted to go there. He has interesting stories to tell from time to time.
South Koreans are already discriminating against North Korean defectors. When and if Korea becomes one, I think you’ll have a great time bringing up old Shilla (sell out to Tang) as the only region that should legitly rule all of Korea. Have fun.
if you ask a Jeolla person, they would claim that Kyong Sang Do got a massive blood transfusion during the ImJin War. Whether or not that is true, I leave it up to the imagination.
trachys,
Yeah. If you run into the Hanchongryon types who have actually processed half a thought on the subject in their life time, rather than just quoting a senior by rout memory, (with the lone thought processors making up about 10% of them), they will get around to making this argument…
That is why they are angry at seeing USFK moved off the DMZ —-
—– The only way to protect Korea from the bastard GIs isn’t to kick them out of country – it is to make them stay near the DMZ — so North Korea can have some “mutually assured destruction” capability to deter the American agressor.
You might have actually even heard some in the Roh crew (you know, the guys running the nation) who said that North Korea isn’t a threat to South Korea, but just to USFK, and the only way to prevent the US from starting a war is to prevent the US from making it too difficult to strike at the GIs…
This message seems to be deemed too difficult for the rank-n-file to master, so the uni students stick to “Yankee go home!!” which they can process….but the leadership will start saying some confusing things if you ask them to go beyond the surface slogans.
I was like that in Wonju, Kangwon-do in the mid to late-1990s. My wife (Korean) and I had much less worry about it in Seoul though you could tell some of the men didn’t care for it.
But, Korea was changing a whole lot too. When I arrived in Korea in about 1996, you would get stared at if you were a Korean young man holding the hand of a young Korean female – putting your arm around her waste was a scandle. 2 or 3 years later in Seoul it was common place and by 2000 in Wonju too…
I haven’t been around in Korea with my wife (or another Korean female) in the streets since 2002, so I really couldn’t say what it is like today.
Thanks for the plug. I corrected some of my clumsiest expressions with yours.
One thing: in my view it’s better to translate the DPRK term “songun” (sôn’gun, 선군, 先軍) than leave it as such (as with “juche”) since it better exposes what it is about. (Marmot’s Hole doesn’t follow the party line, does it ?;)
(But I’m not going to start arguing how to translate the term minj…)
I’ve had mostly good – though occasionally unfortunate – experiences in Jeollado. World Cup 2002 in Gwangju was the last time I remember being bitched out on the street with my Korean wife (of course, she took the bulk of the abuse, not me.) Not unlike the kind of shit I may have gotten on the street in Hongdae in ‘96 or ‘97 on a bad night out with my ex (and younger) girlfriend. More a dumbass ignorant kind of racism than the malicious variety. This particular student seems to represent more the latter – and minority – type of xenophobia that exists here. (And, it wouldn’t surprise me either if he grew out of it at some point. If not, he may find himself a future Democratic Labor Party candidate.) Anyway, instead of focusing on the negative, let me say that my experiences with people in Gangwon and Chungcheong province have been nothing but great, aside from getting gouged for a mediocre room in Sokcho in the middle of August!
usinkorea,
Remember the capri pants? Women wouldn’t wear shorts that went above knees until 2000 or so.
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