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A pro-Japanese group vs. anti-state forces

Published: 28 Aug. 2024, 20:13

OH HYUN-SEOK
The author is a political news reporter of the JoongAng Ilbo.

Has the pro-Japanese group taken over Korea? It seems like an unexpected question in the 21st century, but for the Democratic Party (DP), the answer is yes. The grounds are the disappearances of Dokdo sculptures installed in Seoul subway stations and the War Memorial in the Yongsan district.

The Seoul Transportation Corporation and the presidential office explained that the aging sculptures will be refurbished in time for the Dokdo Day on Oct. 25, but a DP spokesperson said it was an excuse. At the news that the Armed Forces Day on Oct. 1 will be designated as a temporary holiday, some DP members even claimed, “Is it just a coincidence that the day overlaps with the establishment date of the Japanese Government-General of Korea on Oct. 1, 1910?”

“The pro-Japanese group” is more frequently mentioned at the DP’s leadership meetings. This month, it was mentioned 18 times. In 2020, when a parliamentary election was held, the phrase was never mentioned. In 2016, it was mentioned only once. DP leader Lee Jae-myung is at the center of the framing. In a YouTube broadcast on August 14, he said that the appointment of the Independence Hall director may seem like a fragmentary issue, but the Dokdo matter is steadily heading toward a certain direction and brought up the Dokdo sculpture issue. On Aug. 25, while he was hospitalized, Lee ordered the DP to form a group to investigate the allegation over “erasing Dokdo.”

On the contrary, the governing People Power Party (PPP) claims that anti-state forces are prevalent in Korea. President Yoon Suk Yeol said at a Cabinet meeting on Aug. 19, “In our society, anti-state forces threatening our liberal democratic system are hiding everywhere.” In the same context, he said in last year’s Liberation Day speech, “Anti-state forces that blindly follow communist totalitarianism, distort public opinion, and disrupt society with propaganda are prevailing.”

In the confirmation hearing, Kim Moon-soo, the nominee for Minister of Employment and Labor, defined the Jeju April 3 Uprising and Massacre as a “riot caused by the Workers’ Party of South Korea.” His argument contradicts the April 3 Incident Special Act, which was created in 1999 by the conservative Grand National Party. At a street rally in 2019, Kim said, “Can’t you see the communists in the government, courts, prosecutors’ offices, media organizations, every school and street?” Kim is likely to lead the Yoon administration’s labor reform in the future.

There is no room for cooperation in our politics that demonizes each other for being “a pro-Japanese group” or “an anti-state force.” They think that dialogue and compromise mean joining hands with the devil.