The return date of Pastor Han Sang Ryeol, the left wing minister who entered North Korea without the South Korean government’s approval on June 12th, has been postponed to August 20th.
According to a report carried by Chosun Central News Agency, the Chosun Red Cross Society notified the Korean National Red Cross on August 14th that Pastor Han would be returning to South Korea via Panmunjom on August 20th at 3PM.
Jang Jae Un, the head of the Chosun Red Cross Society, stated in the notification, which was addressed to Yoo Chong Ha, his counterpart at the Korea National Red Cross that, “Pastor Han Sang Ryeol, who is staying in Pyongyang, will return to South Korea at 3 PM on August 20th.”
The notification added, “We hope the South Korean National Red Cross will inform the responsible organizations and take the necessary measures.”
The specific reason for the delay was not given; however, it was probably a political decision. Since South Korean public opinion on Han’s illegal trip to North Korea has not been as positive as might have been anticipated, North Korea may well have felt it would be better for Han to participate in the North’s own August 15th, Liberation Day ceremony and accrue what benefits it could.
Since the beginning, Pastor Han and North Korea had been saying that Han would be returning on August 15th, a day which, since it represents the anniversary of liberation from Japanese rule, is pregnant with meaning. The thinking was that North Korea would use the probable arrest and imprisonment of Han by the South Korean authorities upon his return to call for the abolition of South Korea’s anti-communist National Security Law, while also hoping to inflate the legitimacy of the anti-United States unification movement.
However, since even the leftwing camp in South Korea has failed to generate active support for Han’s illegal trip, North Korea and Han may have been concerned that they would face the largely unopposed ire of South Korean conservative organizations; the South Korean conservative camp made clear that they would assemble near Panmunjom to protest the return of Minister Han.
Therefore, North Korea probably judged that, instead of Minister Han’s return representing little more than “marketing noise”, it would be better if he extended his stay and actively participated in their own August 15th event.
For Han to participate in North Korea’s August 15th event and actively support North Korea’s position on key issues like the Cheonan incident would be somewhat beneficial for its overseas propaganda effect and internal solidarity, of course.
Han is set to be arrested on his return for travelling to North Korea without permission, and also for making a public statement on June 22nd in Pyongyang in which he asserted that the South Korean government bore responsibility for the Cheonan incident.
The South Korean government considers his visit to North Korea a violation of the Inter-Korea Exchange and Cooperation Act, and a case of praising the North’s system, which is also illegal under South Korean law.
