[Opinion]Lessons from 8.15 Grand Festival at Pyongyang

August of 1985, the representatives of the South arrived at Pyongyang for the inter-Korean Red Cross talks. North Korea all of a sudden changed the schedule to visit the student palace and lead us to the Moranbong Stadium. And we had to watch a mass performance showing North Korea`s propaganda in front of 100 thousands of people.

Just like 16 years ago, in the name of `8.15 grand festival for people`s unification`, North Korea again revived the same political show.

This Pyongyang incident leads us to think about several essential issues.

First, North Korea has not changed at all. North Korea urged the representatives of the South to participate in the opening ceremony at `the third constitutional memorial tower for unification`, saying that 20 thousands of Pyonggayng citizens are waiting for us. They finally brought the representatives of the South to Mankyungdae, the house where Kim Il-Sung was born. It was a deceptive political strategy to stir a domestic conflict in the South by North Korea, who already knew about the domestic conflict among the representatives of the South. This shows that North Korea has not changed at all even after the summit talks. They are naïve enough to use this kind of civil event for their political show and operations against the South, although they always say that we should fulfill the 6.15 joint deceleration. Except for the fact that they are abstaining from abusive language against South, they are as same as they are before the summit talks.

Secondly, government`s precipitous policy toward North Korea led this Pyongyang incident.

At the beginning, government did not approve the civil visit to North Korea, being afraid of North Korea taking advantage of it: and this tells us that the Pyongyang incident was predictable from the beginning. Yet within one day, government changed its attitude and approved the visit to North Korea. Government formally made only some of the representatives of the South to submit a note, sending them to North Korea in a hurry.

Why is it so? It seems that government judged with anxiety that Kim Joeng-Il`s visit to the South would be impossible if government do not approve the civil cultural exchange under current situation, where political exchange has stopped.

Thirdly, the ideological deviation of domestic sympathizers of North Korea reached a dangerous level. The `Unification Solidarity` who created a stir at Pyongyang said, 1) the opening ceremony at the third constitutional memorial tower for unification does not cause any problem, 2) the federal unification should not be treated as a heresy, 3) the National Security Law should be abolished.

But what doe the memorials tower represent? It is a symbol of the federal unification system. Therefore the fact that they participated in the opening ceremony in front of the tower means that they agree with the federal unification system. Especially the insistence to abolish the National Security Law is nothing but a North Korea`s opinion expressed in the federal unification system.

Moreover, the visitor`s note at Mankyungdae, -``Let us succeed the spirit of Mankyungdae and accomplish the grand task of unification``- is same as saying that we should make unification according to Kim Il-Seoung`s philosophy. Also the saying that the labor should be at the front of unification expresses the same philosophy of North Korea that advocates socialism, putting the proletariat class in the center of its society. When they said that they witnessed the step of history, does it mean that they realized the revolution tradition by Kim Jeong Il?

Despite all these facts, `Unification Solidarity` is busy making apology rather than to repent. This is a serious fault against the spirit of democracy and the identity of South Korea.

What should we do in this case? Government should reconsider the policies that provide many things to be used by the North. It also should review the strategy and operation toward the North that has only created domestic conflict.

They should not approve the visit to North Korea like this time and eagerly expect Kim Jeong-Il`s visit.

Along with this, the responsibility for this incident should be asked not only to the representatives but also to high ranking officials. Legal punishment should be also processed. If government again worry too much about Kim Jeong-Il`s visit and do not take a proper action in this incident, it will loose public favor and also leave a bad precedent behind two Korea relationships.