The North Korean media has acknowledged the victory of Saenuri Party candidate Park Geun Hye in the South Korean presidential election, but without naming her directly. This has created confusion over what nuance the step is designed to convey.
KCNA (on the 20th) and Rodong Shinmun (today) briefly reported the news, saying simply that, “According to domestic and foreign news reports, on the 19th the Saenuri Party candidate was elected president by a narrow margin and after a fierce competition.”
North Korean defectors say they see the report as a message of discontent at Park’s win, and of disappointment over the loss of her competitor, Moon Jae In. Despite Park winning by almost a million votes, the North Korean report spoke in terms of an extremely close race.
Conversely, North Korea stayed silent for two full months after South Korea’s 17th presidential election, in which conservative Lee Myung Bak beat out the incumbent Roh Moo Hyun, a North Korean favorite and pursuer of more cordial inter-Korean relations.
One defector, Kim Chung Ryeong, who left North Korea last year, said, “The reason why North Korea announced the results of South Korea’s presidential election in Rodong Shinmun was because they had already said she was running and slandered her endlessly for two months, so there was the need to inform readers of the result.”
Kim underscored, “Not revealing her name is a way to protest at her election. Also, they don’t want to give the impression to the populace that even a woman can be president in South Chosun.”
However, some others remain hopeful, saying that the report shows that North Korea is ready to admit what is going on in South Korea and deal with it realistically.
Yoo Dong Reul, a senior researcher with the Korea National Police Academy, said, “North Korea, which had constantly criticized candidate Park Geun Hye, took a neutral approach after the result was announced. It seems like they are changing their stance to one of watching the response of South Korea’s new administration.”
