 Image: Yonhap News Agency |
Kim Ki Jong declared, “Stop the ROK-US joint military exercises!”
as he assailed and inflicted wounds on the face and hands of Mark Lippert, the
United States ambassador to South Korea. “I committed an act of terror today,” he declared. “I initially tried to stab him in the neck,” adding that he prepared for the attack over the course of ten days. His actions
reflect that of a premeditated murder attempt.
Violence wrecks the body and mind of
humans. It kills lives. It is the most inhumane act. Violence with political
agendas and terrors that kill lives are unpardonable, cruel, and base crimes.
ISIS, an Islamic extremist rebel group, decapitate those who do not align with its cause. Kim Jong Eun, who acclaimed the attack on Ambassador Lippert,
executed his uncle, Jang Song Thaek, in 2013 for treason and then incinerated the body. Kim Ki Jong’s violence is of the same nature these aforementioned examples. He should be severely punished in accordance with the law. The
government, the ruling and opposing parties, the media, and citizens will have to
rally together to ensure such political violence does not recur.
What led Kim to commit such a violent act? He has mounted anti-Japanese and anti-American activism seeking reunification
by establishing Urimadang in 1980, Unification Culture Institute in 1998, and
Dokdo Island Protectors in 2006. As I reflected on Kim’s
past 25 years three things came to mind.
First, Kim’s rage
is perverted anger, stemming from an anachronistic and unconditional
adherence to ideology.
Kim demanded an end to the joint ROK [Republic of Korea]-U.S. military exercises as he attacked the American
ambassador. In 2010, he hurled two pieces of concrete at the Japanese ambassador to
South Korea, in turn inflicting wounds on an employee of the Japanese
Embassy in Korea, who was working there as a translator. Kim was consequently placed
under arrest. His record of violence against foreign envoys prior to
the recent attack is well-documented.
Notably, Kim exudes a very incongruous
attitude: he proclaims anti-war sentiments, but has remained tight-lipped on North
Korea’s nuclear development and shelling of Yeonpyeong
Island [2010]. Kim also visited North Korea eight times
from 2006 to 2007. The irony that a man who claims to be against war has resorted to violence should not escape anyone.
The chief reason that war is wrong is
that it kills people. Kim’s actions are inconsistent with his words: he tried to kill someone under the name of peace and opposition
to war. His advocacy of peace and reunification, merely employed as an
ideological tool to forge ahead with anti-Japanese, anti-American
movements and socialism, is a common thread among unification activists with pro-North Korean and
anti-American beliefs.
Second, leftist groups are fraught with discord.
In 2007, Kim fainted out of anger while
wrangling with members of reunification groups such as the Korea Council for
Reconciliation and Cooperation and the 615 South Committee. Some of
his acquaintances frequently refer to him as “opinionated,” while the blunter ones call him “crazy.” He
tried to immolate himself that same year in front of Cheong Wa Dae, the South Korean
presidential office and residence, in order to propel “the
investigation into the raid on Urimadang [an organization that he founded], and
bringing back of conscience to those who cooperate with the authorities in the
name of democracy and reunification.” His
self-immolation purportedly targeted the scores of “unconscionable” people around him. Dissonance with the world and isolation probably
intensified his anger toward his ideological foes.
Third, I see an incompetent person who lacks both observation of the world and the leadership to move people.
Kim’s blog musings are rife with logical fallacies, giving one the impression that this individual severely lacks the ability to think or communicate. This drawback must have been
detrimental for someone at the helm of a social movement. Based on these inadequacies, it stands to reason that he failed to gain much support or trust from even his companions, let alone the public. There are 58 members in Dokdo Island Protectors–only four of them frequent the website. Needless to say, the heaviest traffic the blog has seen occurred the very day he
brandished a knife and attacked an ambassador. The economic hardships he endured as a result of living alone for such a protracted period were likely to have exacerbated his discontent and isolation from the world.
The difference between people and animals
is that the former has a set of spiritual values. In other words, people recognize that life is precious. The chief adversary to human civilization is violence–it kills people. Kim must be harshly penalized under existing principles and laws. We
must make it clear that nothing is gained from violence. We must show those who resort to, or plan to resort to, violence for political gains, the
price they will pay for their actions.
