[Letters] The Cheonan-Tablo connection

The saga of Korean-Canadian singer Tablo and the internal conflicts concerning the torpedo attack by North Korea have many similarities. They have been portrayed falsely by some, and these conflicts are humiliating domestically and internationally.

First, Thomas C. Black, Stanford’s registrar and associate vice provost, proved that Korean singer Tablo was one of their students and received good grades while he was attending Stanford. South Koreans didn’t believe this, which made Mr. Black post on Stanford’s Twitter site to prove that Tablo attended Stanford. Still there are some who do not believe in this evidence just because they detest him, as they do the government.

It gets worse. Numerous evidence substantiates that the torpedo attack on the Cheonan was done by North Korea. But some articles even claim that the torpedo attack was done by Martians. Some skeptics argue with their limited info to condemn and nullify the international investigation. No matter what, seeing the evidence that the international investigators have given, there is no doubt and should be no doubt concerning this issue.

Second, the reason why these incidents are causing controversy is because some among us don’t see what most of us see. It is common sense to believe once the evidence has been given. Though Tablo’s diploma was presented, people didn’t believe it. North Korea’s torpedo was presented and released to the public. Some didn’t believe the result, claiming that the Cheonan went down because of South Korean government conspiracies. Surprisingly, when the result of the investigation was released, the only people that did not give credit the outcome were Koreans. What is going on? What evidence should the government give to let them believe? Face the reality.

Third, these controversies are humiliating domestically and internationally. I believe that it was North Korea who torpedoed the Cheonan and killed 46 people. Thus, I believe that people in South Korea must cooperate to make sure these kinds of provocative actions never happen again. Forty-six innocent people’s lives are over because of a torpedo attack by North Korea. We have to take action unanimously together to impose sanctions internationally against North Korea.

But an article yesterday shocked me and my friends. People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy sent a letter to the UN Security Council concerning the inadequacy of a joint international group’s investigation about the attack on North Korea. This kind of act is something that cannot be understood with obvious and rational understanding. Whether or not they detest everything the Lee administration is doing, if they are a responsible party in South Korea, they have to cooperate with the government rather than sabotaging the nation’s international reputation.

Look at the national cemetery. People who died during the Korean War are buried there. We have to remember how cruel and inhumane the North Korean government is. However, this time, their provocation was way beyond the line. It is the Lee Myung-bak administration’s role to not let this sabotage happen again in the borders of the Korean Peninsula. Also, those who still believe that North Korea didn’t torpedo the Cheonan, just remember this one fact: You are killing deceased families twice, and the majority of us will support the Lee administration, no matter what.

John Hyun Jae Lee,

Myungduk Foreign Language High School