Campaign out of bounds

What exactly in the world is the goal for a group called The National Campaign to Protect the Media Rights of Consumers?

Group members say they plan to designate Samsung as their second target in a boycott campaign, claiming that they will tell the public to buy over the Internet in China, that the company’s cell phones “are not better than those of Nokia yet are even more expensive” and that Samsung laptops emit too much heat.

Last week, the group bashed the major advertisers of the nation’s leading newspapers in support of smaller, progressive publications. Now it seems determined to become a sales arm of Nokia by bashing its competitor Samsung.

It feels as if the group is filming a cheesy drama featuring a clumsy left-wing organization digging its own grave.

A legitimate campaign against a certain corporation and a baseless battle against a company are different matters entirely.

As the group has acknowledged, Samsung generates more than 90 percent of its sales revenue from overseas markets - and that is where the group is aiming its boycott.

The activists’ off-track boycott campaign against Samsung is an attempt to rattle a business mogul who represents Korea, and it could in fact negatively impact the entire nation.

It represents an act of treachery to the country.

No society in the world would accept such self-destructive behavior.

Besides, the group seems to be hoping that its false rumors will be published in noted papers overseas. That evokes memories of leftist activists in the past who tried - yet failed - to get their ideological stances publicized in foreign countries.

Korean society is striving to boost exports, which is the most important factor in recovering from the economic crisis.

It seems the activists are paying attention only to ideology, not the coordinated efforts of other people in the country to bring Korea out of its economic doldrums.

But expecting solid, rational thinking from a group that backs a foreign firm over a local company vital to the nation’s economy is wishful thinking.

The head of the activist group, though, apparently feels that prosecutors might take a closer look at the organization for its actions.

It seems that an investigation would be a natural step, one that would help maintain the health of Korean society.

However, the prosecution would need to assess the group members’ mental health beforehand, as they are involved in preposterous and childish acts that could hurt the entire country.