1 year of war, 3550 trillion won loss worldwide
The war that caused pain all over the world must stop
Reporting following the West, no national interest
Need for pragmatic diplomacy in line with the new order
The war in Ukraine will be a full year on the 24th. Even at the beginning of the war, it seemed that Russia would swallow Ukraine at once. However, the first year of war is in full swing. The composition of the war reflected in the media is simple. confrontation between good and evil. It is the noble struggle of Ukraine against the immoral Russian aggression.
Of course, it is self-evident that it is in fact a proxy war with the mirror, receiving full support from the United States. As a key cause, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) non-expansion promise, which was made public several times during the 1990 US-US summit, cannot be overlooked. This is why Noam Chomsky, a world-renowned scholar, declared that “Russia was provoked” even though he defined Russia’s invasion as a ‘war crime’.
News of the defeat of the absolute evil and the victory of the absolute good continued day after day, such as ‘Russian troops abandoning their weapons and fleeing’ and ‘Russian tanks struggling with Ukrainian drones’. In addition to articles exposing anti-humanitarianism, such as the Russian army raping Ukrainian women, there were also gossip articles, such as rumors of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s dementia. Western media such as the New York Times, CNN, and the Washington Post took the lead in pouring out such reports, and the domestic media that dictated them did not elaborately examine the facts.
There is no sign of the end of the war yet, and if the U.S. forces actually directly participate in the war, Russia is ready to use nuclear weapons. In fact, news of Russia’s various battle defeats is heard one after another, but the damage was almost Ukrainian. However, there are not a few reports that are contrary to the reports centered on the Western world media. In the case of an Israeli Internet media outlet, citing and reporting on a war report prepared by the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad, it said that the actual war damage was much more to the Ukrainian army than to the Russian army. In terms of not only the number of dead and wounded, but also the damage to weapons and facilities, the war is not at a level to ridicule Russia.
Apart from the horrors of war, it is important to consider that the aspects of war can be quite different from those reported by the Western media. Whatever the reality, over 7,000 Ukrainians have died and 13.4 million have become refugees. In addition, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the global loss due to soaring energy prices and damage to international supply chains reaches 3,550 trillion won. These are clear reasons to stop the war right now.
While the world groaned in the agony of war, oddly enough, Ukrainian President Zelensky and other government officials became enormously wealthy. According to BBC News, citing Forbes, President Zelensky’s wealth increased by 1.7 trillion won over the course of a year, and the wealth of the defense minister and foreign minister also increased by 800 billion to 900 billion won, respectively. Let’s say it is because the American media has interests in their country. The fact that even the domestic media are engrossed in the ‘demonization of Russia’ is nothing but a look that neither pursues the truth nor considers the national interest.
We cannot openly oppose the US anti-Russian stance. Because the ROK-US alliance is also precious. However, a pragmatic approach for the national interest is difficult to achieve with only U.S.-centered unipolar diplomacy. Last year, trade with Russia decreased by 23 percent, with Hyundai Motor, which has factories in Russia, struggling. In an interview with Sputnik News Agency on the 10th, Russian Ambassador to Korea Andrei Kulik said, “Unlike other Western partners, Korea is pursuing a balanced and pragmatic course with Russia.” I hope that we can all seek new cooperation that can be realized without loss.”
This interview, which suggested a pragmatic approach for the national interest of both countries, was also unreported. The war will have to end soon. A new world order is likely to be established. New opportunities may open up in Korea. Shouldn’t there be wiser diplomacy and media coverage?
Park Rok-sam, Editorial Writer
