Criticisms and Criminal Charges against Several North Korea Visit Delegates Eulogizing the North

As more inappropriate eulogies of the South delegates of the 8.15 National Reunification Grand Festival are further exposed, the Public Prosecutors Office revealed its plan to investigate the case thoroughly yesterday and the Grand National Party also urged for the prosecution of the related persons.

A related prosecutorial official remarked, ``On committing the 7 persons out of 16 arrested persons for trial, (the Prosecutors Office) will target those persons who were involved in making other statements for the second investigations.``

GNP asserted, ``Their actions go beyond conspiring leftists and were no different from the communists` Kim Il-Sung worship. The government and the ruling party must take clear measures to punish the persons involved.``

The spokesperson of GNP stated, ``They showed actions that oppose the Republic of Korea by praising the North and asserting the `federal unification` position. With the support of the government, the organizations armed with Juche ideology, which benefited the enemy, betrayed the country. GNP will definitely destroy their attempts.``

However, a high ranking official of Chong Wa Dae said, ``those utterances simply show the mood of the South Korean delegates on that particular day. It is a very delicate matter and it is difficult to judge them in haste.``

The official also added that ``the whole issue of the South Korean delegation is up to the Public Prosecutors. However, if it is inevitable, the punishment would be rather minimal.``

An official of the Unification Ministry expressed the worry that the indiscrete acts of the delegates might shake the foundations of the Sunshine policy and damage the civil unification movement in the South.

According to the joint press team, the delegates involved in making indiscrete utterances praised North Korea`s Defense Commission Chairperson Kim Jong-Il as the `Great General` during the Pyongyang Grand Festival and shouted `Unify [Korea] with a federal System!` at the top of Mt. Baekdu.

Yun Seung-Mo ysmo@donga.com