Progressive civil society and opposition parties are collectively stigmatized for “disturbing and attacking the free society”
President Yoon Seok-yeol sings a song for Liberation Day at the 78th Liberation Day celebration held at the auditorium of Ewha Womans University in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul on the 15th. President’s Photo Correspondents
On the 15th, President Yoon Seok-yeol’s second Liberation Day congratulatory speech was filled with fierce expressions that denounced forces critical of the current government as “anti-state forces” and openly revealed hostility toward them. In a speech that lasted for about 15 minutes, President Yoon said, “Anti-state forces that blindly follow communist totalitarianism, distort public opinion and disrupt society by manipulating incitement are still active,” bringing out the old anti-communist and annihilating frame, expressing regressive and far-right sentiments. Once again, the enemy awareness was fully revealed. On this day, President Yoon said, “In the reality of division where liberal democracy and communist totalitarianism confront each other, the anti-state forces will not easily disappear.” No,” he stressed. “The communist totalitarian forces have always disguised themselves as democracy activists, human rights activists, and progressive activists, and have engaged in false agitation and mean and immoral operations,” he said. and attacked This is how totalitarian forces survive.” Looking at Korean society as a divisive state divided between liberal democracy and communist totalitarianism, in fact, progressive civil society and opposition parties were branded as ‘anti-state forces’ and ‘communist totalitarian forces’. However, it did not specifically mention what the ‘duke’ was. The President’s office explained that this congratulatory speech on Liberation Day contained the background and intentions of President Yoon’s first involvement in politics, and the key to estimating the future direction of state administration. An official from the presidential office said, “I was referring to President Yoon’s expanded concept of freedom that we can move forward only when we overcome the obstacles to liberal democracy.” speech,” he said. Another official explained, “I was referring to the behavior in which politicians instigate falsely with nonsense and the media and civil society spread it.” President Yoon’s attitude is getting stronger as he views those who are critical of the government as anti-liberal democracy and makes them ‘targets to be eradicated’. Earlier, in October of last year, at a meeting with the chairman of the People’s Power Outside Party Committee, President Yoon first mentioned the word ‘anti-state forces’, saying, “It is impossible to negotiate with hostile anti-state forces.” Then, at the Korea Freedom League event last June, he said, “Anti-state forces with a distorted sense of history and an irresponsible view of the state sang about the declaration of an end to the dissolution of the UNC,” and sniped at the opposition party, which was the subject of governance, and the former government that insisted on the declaration of an end to the war. What it did spark controversy. Political scientists and elders evaluated the congratulatory address as a biased and far-right message that is hard to see as a statement by the head of state, who is responsible for resolving social conflicts, integration, and division. Ahn Byung-jin, a professor of future civilization at Kyunghee University (political science), said, “President Yoon interprets the liberal and constitutionalist spirit of the Republic of Korea in an extreme right-wing way. There is no choice but to interpret it as coming from the idea that they are forming a group, not just one or two people,” he said. Professor Choi Chang-ryeol of Yongin University (political science) also pointed out that “the Liberation Day, which usually talks about inter-Korean relations, Korea-Japan relations, and national unity, was approached from an ideological and ideological perspective.” An elderly person in the field of diplomacy and security said, “If the will of the people is not enough, if you divide the people and try to return to the hostile order of the Cold War in the 1950s by talking about ‘communist totalitarianism, anti-state forces’, it will be the path to peace and prosperity. How can I open it?” he worried. Politicians’ evaluations were also divided to extremes. In a commentary, Kang Min-guk, chief spokesman for People’s Power, argued, “It is our duty to resolutely reject all forces that use the pain and history of the past and all forces that threaten the free Republic of Korea, which was defended with the blood and sweat of our ancestors.” On the other hand, Kwon Chil-seung, chief spokesman of the Democratic Party, said, “There was no congratulatory speech from the President on Liberation Day today. He only had monologues like far-right YouTubers or asphalt right-wingers,” he criticized. Reporter Mina Kim mina@hani.co.kr Reporter Bae Ji-hyun beep@hani.co.kr Reporter Min-jeong Shin shin@hani.co.kr Reporter Lee Je-hoon nomad@hani.co.kr
2023-08-15 10:28:06
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