[imText1]\u201cBoth North Korea\u2019s human rights issue and South Korea\u2019s self-esteem are important. But more significant is to manage the situation at manageable level and to put peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula first.\u201d<\/p>\n
A statement from President Roh Moo Hyun\u2019s Liberation Day speech reminds us our subconscious North Korea-phobia. <\/p>\n
Although the Sunshine Policy is not equipped with standardized system of ideology, there are two major beliefs substantiating the policy, according to statements of the officials in the Cheongwadae (President\u2019s Office of South Korea) and the South Korean government. <\/p>\n
One is confidence of South Korea being a \u2018bigger brother\u2019 of North Korea since the former surpasses the latter in every aspect; economic might, military power, international status and so on. So South Korea must tolerate North Korea like a father does for his prodigal son and then North Korean leadership would transform its behaviors. The other is anxiety due to North Korea\u2019s unpredictability, or North Korea-phobia. Because Pyongyang is not an easily expectable and manageable partner, it must be treated warily. <\/p>\n
During Kim Dae Jung administration, Sunshine Policy\u2019s confidence portion was emphasized compared to anxiety one. However, Roh Moo Hyun administration\u2019s North Korean policy seems dominated by North Korea-phobia rather than confidence. <\/p>\n
Reason for this change is, most of all, Roh administration\u2019s so-called 386 generation staffs\u2019 misguided perspective on North Korea such as; exaggerated fear that North Korea\u2019s pride would explode if provoked, overemphasis on North Korea\u2019s control over its people and bond between the regime and people, and lack of knowledge on human rights violation in North Korea.<\/p>\n
This kind of mistaken concept on North Korea amalgamated with their decades-long anti-Americanism along with changing international order since 9.11, and resulted in a weird trend. After Roh\u2019s inauguration, 386 generation\u2019s anti-American sentiment converted to a confidence to change the society under their leadership. And as the war on terrorism started by the United States, it is now changed to a fear of US hawkish policy. Confidence and North Korea-phobia, pro-North Korean and anti-American sentiment and now anxiety toward the US all combined and created a chaos. <\/p>\n
Roh administration\u2019s North Korean policy so far, President Roh\u2019s Liberation Day speech, controversy over redemption of wartime operational responsibility all of the above represent various perspectives in the administration with perplexity. <\/p>\n
Let\u2019s look at North Korea with \u2018revolutionary\u2019 perspective<\/b><\/font><\/p>\n On the other hand, the Sunshine Policy\u2019s emphasis on cautious and gradual approach toward North Korea based on misinterpreted securitism and conservatism on North Korean issue. <\/p>\n To say it bluntly, it is an approach indifferent to North Korean people\u2019s lives and their sufferings. The approach only advocates peace and stability, and rejects any \u2018revolutionary\u2019 change in North Korea. It even indicates some selfishness that only cares about welfare of us, South Koreans. <\/p>\n President Roh\u2019s use of a phrase \u2018managing the situation at manageable level\u2019 plainly describes such egoism. In other words, it is a declaration of abandonment of North Korea since the current North Korea is not \u2018manageable\u2019 by South Korean government. Indeed Ryu Si Min, current Health and Welfare Minister and Roh\u2019s closest aide, once commented that he is against abrupt change in North Korea because if \u2018 North Korea collapses, that day will be a cheerful one, but next day a disaster will follow.\u2019 <\/p>\n Being afraid of North Korea\u2019s provocation of war is not the only case of North Korea-phobia. Fearing North Korea\u2019s change is also North Korea-phobia and it resulted in a critical error in North Korean policy. <\/p>\n Asking politicians, who are both rational and realistic, to conceive from North Korean people\u2019s point of view is too improbable. Nonetheless, considering North Korea\u2019s past, present and future, \u2018revolutionary solution\u2019 either from below or above is the only way to improve the situation in North Korea and to lessen the suffering of North Korean people. <\/p>\n In contrast, those who believe in the possibility of reform under Kim Jong Il regime are actually contributing to prolong the inhuman living condition of North Korean people. If this is the case, we living in a free world should at least support North Korea\u2019s democratization from outside, if not do it within North Korea. And such is a duty of those who fought for South Korea\u2019s democratization decades ago.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" [imText1]\u201cBoth North Korea\u2019s human rights issue and South Korea\u2019s self-esteem are important. But more significant is to manage the situation at manageable level and to put peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula first.\u201d A statement from President Roh Moo Hyun\u2019s Liberation Day speech reminds us our subconscious North Korea-phobia. Although the Sunshine Policy is […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":122,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wikipediapreview_detectlinks":true,"footnotes":""},"categories":[67],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2461","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n