hankyoreh

By Son Won-je, staff reporter
The winds stigmatizing pro-North Korea lawmakers are gathering speed. A series of old tactics has brought public debate over inter-Korean relations to an ugly and unproductive place. Even President Lee Myung-bak has joined in criticizing opposition lawmakers with histories of pro-North activities.
The history of war and division on the Korean peninsula has lent the term “pro-North” senses of darkness and negativity. The term conjures thoughts of North Korea‘s reactionary nature and out-of-date ideology. Conservatives exploit these images of ideological struggle to avoid democratic debate on the issues in South Korea politics.
Tactic one- distracting from the real issues
Problems within the United Progressive Party (UPP) first arose with irregularities in their election of proportional representative candidates. Corruption within the party and dominance by one faction prevented the UPP from working in a democratic manner. A small group of UPP lawmakers has been criticized for sympathizing with North Korea. The “pro-North” image was blown out of proportion by conservatives and has been depicted as the source of all the UPP’s problems.
This is where the conflict over the expulsion of allegedly pro-North UPP lawmakers Lee Seok-gi and Kim Jae-yeon from the National Assembly begins. On June 1, likely New Frontier Party (NFP) presidential candidate Park Geun-hye stated her wish to have the two lawmakers kicked out of their new positions, saying, “People who doubt the basic nature of the [South Korean] state must not become National Assembly members.”
The UPP the two lawmakers out of the party, but is opposing expulsion on the grounds of their “views of the state.” The main opposition Democratic United Party‘s (DUP) attitude is that members may be removed from the party due to serious electoral fraud, but expulsion on ideological grounds is unacceptable.
A DUP official said, “The only reason the two lawmakers can be expelled is their responsibility for acts of electoral fraud.”
Tactic two- recalling the past
The behavior of figures previously labeled pro-North Korea is being held up for scrutiny once again. Figures who were once progressive or pro-North Korea but have since “converted” to conservatism, take a leading role in the mudslinging. The logic behind their attacks is, ‘We have announced our conversions. Why aren‘t you doing anything?’ The rights to silence or conscience are not respected.
The past is sometimes recalled through dramatic incidents. DUP lawmaker Lim Su-kyung is being attacked as a member of the “Jusa faction,” which calls for both Koreas to espouse North Korea’s “Juche” ideology. Lim made headlines recently after she called North Korean defectors “traitors” during a drunken argument at a restaurant.
Gyeonggi province governor Kim Moon-soo, once a self-proclaimed “socialist revolutionary”, has attacked Lim Su-kyung and Lim Jong-seok, calling them “both members of the Jusa faction.” Kim is an example of a once-progressive politician who has turned towards conservatism.
Deputy NFP spokesperson Jeon Gwang-sam said, “Lim Su-kyung has shown such certainty in her pro-North tendencies. She has referred to Kim Il-sung as ‘father’ and the South Korean government as an ‘anti-unification force.’ We urge her to make a public retraction.”
On a visit to North Korea in 1989, Lim embarrassed the North’s authorities by speaking out against the tradition of dynastic succession of power. “While Lim thinks dialogue and reconciliation with North Korea are needed, she holds a negative view of the North’s hereditary transfer of power,” said an acquaintance of Lim.
“She should be criticized for her comments, but there are no grounds to call her ‘pro-North Korean’ or ‘a member of the Jusa faction’.”
Tactic three- indiscriminate labeling
Even advocates of reconciliation, cooperation and dialogue with the North are inaccurately portrayed as uncritical followers of the North Korean regime. This aggressive labeling creates a "pro-North" and "anti-North" dichotomy where subtle differences in viewpoint are rubbed out.
DUP lawmaker and leadership contender Lee Hae-chan has stated his opposition to the North Korea human rights law which has been pending in the National Assembly. Lee has said, "It’s true that there is a human rights problem in North Korea, but this is not something over which countries should interfere in each other’s affairs."
This is a policy-based opinion, calling for caution in passing the North Korea human rights law out of concern that it could exacerbate tensions in South-North relations rather than improve human rights in the North.
Lee was saying that he would rather resume humanitarian aid to help the people of North Korea survive from day to day. He would also seek to create natural momentum for change through exchange with the North. Conservative media have since called Lee’s recommendation pro-North Korea, with NFP chairman Hwang Woo-yea calling for a review of Lee’s qualifications as a lawmaker.
The question of how to improve inter-Korean relations is now not based on policy discussion, but on defamation and threats of legal punishment. In a place where fear and loathing dominate, the space left for political maneuvering is shrinking.
　
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