“What Is North Korea to Us?”

The North Korean delegation and the beauty cheering group, who drew much attention from people, returned to North Korea on the 15th. The 161 remaining people of the North Korean delegation participated on the 14th Busan Asian Games and 291 members of the cheering group returned to Pyongyang and Wonsan in the morning of the 15th by the Goryo Airline and the Mankyeongbong 92.

Although the North Korean delegation and the cheering group received much support and applause, there were many citizens who showed criticism and rejection against them.

Experts pointed out that while the biggest North Korean delegation and cheering group in the history were staying for a long period time, there arouse a phenomenon that the people were confused with their view toward North Korea. Therefore, there also is a loud voice saying that it is time to set a paradigm, which is not swept by the sentimentalism.

▽ The surging North Korean banners=People watched the North Korean banners surging during the Asian Games. They even heard the North Korean national anthem inside the stadiums. Some youngsters even reacted, “The lyrics and music of the North Korean national anthem is wonderful.”

The government originally set the policy to allow raising the North Korean banners only inside the stadiums, but they have been exposed to all the people through TV and the Internet.

People looking at the North Korean banners were confused. Mr. Kim (46. office worker), who observed the Closing Ceremony said, “I lost my judgment how to react to the fact that the North Korean banners were surging at the Closing Ceremony.”

▽ The endless ‘North Syndrome’=The ‘syndrome’ of the North Korean delegation and cheering group was continued during the Asian Games. There appeared fan clubs of the North Korean basketball star Lee Myung-hoon, Gye Soon-hui, and the leader of the cheering group Lee Myung-hui on the Internet, and the members of those clubs reached tens of thousands. The North Korean beauty cheering group drew public attention wherever they went. Tens of youngsters treated them like ‘popular stars,’ waited them wherever they went, and asked their autographs.

So, there was someone saying that it was successful for North Korea if they used them and pulled a badger game to the South Korean people. But there were many citizens watched different performances of those beauties and said, “We were confused because it is so different than the reality in North Korea, where people were starved to death.”

▽ Confusion in the law system = Mr. Kim (50) was arrested while protesting near the Mangyongbong on the 8th putting a sticker reads ‘Red Hunt’ in his car. Since there was no right regulation to punish him, the police charged him with driving with no license and dismissed him with a caution.

The feeling of the soldiers and policemen, who were educated that North Korea was their main enemy, were even more confused. An police officer who took charge of guarding North Korean athletes said, “Although I was glad to guard the North Korean delegation, I thought, on the other hand, that what I was doing,” and “I thought all the education that I received and the National Security Law became meaningless by the one phrase ‘the reconciliation of South and North.’”

▽Diagnosis of the experts=The Dean of the Graduate School of North Korean Studies in the Gyongnam University, Park Jae-gyu (58. former Minister of the National Unification) pointed out, “Although there are many problems on the definition of the main enemy, it cannot be removed because the threat of a war is not completely disappeared, yet.” He said, “However, it is necessary for the system and the feeling of people to be harmonized preparing the situation that the interchange between South and North got spread even more.”

The Head of the North Korean Studies of Samsung Economy Research Center, Dong Yong-seung said, “The interests and enthusiasm toward the North Korean delegation and cheering group was an opportunity for us to think how to change the opposing situation of South and North and grope the improvement of the relationship.” and added “We must not finish this event as a ‘remembrance of the moment,’ and we need to create a stage of discussion and debate to solve the problems of South and North relationship.”

mobidic@donga.com