Will ‘Song Du-yul’s Stirrup’ Spread into an Ideological Dispute?

Scholar Song Du-yul’s case is spreading into a ‘colored dispute’ among the political circle.

Lawmaker Chung Hyun-keun, an executive secretary of the Grand National Party(GNP) Intelligence Committee, while focusing on Song’s protecting forces, said yesterday on a MBC radio broadcast “North Korea’s key force is within the government”, sparking uninvited flames.

GNP concerns ‘crosswind’ through the offensive: Lawmaker Chung, relating to Song’s matter, said in yesterday’s broadcast, “A key force which contacts with North Korea is positioned within the government inside the country” and “The foundation of Republic of Korea has gone to the perilous level.”

Continuing, he said, “Highest-level government officials intervened in the admittance of Song, who was a candidate lawmaker of the North Korean Worker’s Party politburo, to the country.” and stressed that “Arresting Song and investigating into the behinds of this matter is the opportunity to precisely solve this matter.”

On the question to ‘whether having specific evidence’, he added,”There is a surmise, but not much to open in public.”

What Lawmaker Chung said seems to come from a tactical judgment, that with Song’s matter and taking the upper hand of government offensive, the offensive target should broaden to Song’s ‘protective forces’ inside the country and should escalate the scale.

But as a party, it isn’t clear if GNP will take an all-out position. Coming forth with a colored offensive of the key forces of the current political power without clear evidence may collide into ‘McCarthyism’.

Junior lawmaker Rep. Oh Se-hoon said, “It isn’t too late to announce the party’s position of the party level after results of the prosecution are reported,”taking precautions on the escalation of an all-out offensive.

The Millennium Democratic Party (MDP) precaution “color dispute’ while insisting a thorough investigation: MDP, which is advocating a ‘reformative opposition party’, said that a thorough inquiry of the actual facts is wanted and stressed the ‘deal by the law’ principle, showing a contrary position on the color dispute.

Rep. Park Sang-chun said yesterday, “Since Song insisted that the investigation by the nation`s top spy agency was exaggerated, prosecutors should take on a thorough investigation and make clear the actual facts and take proper penalties according to it.” Kim Young-hwan, chairman of the policy board pointed out, “GNP is taking a very political position on expanding this matter into a color dispute.”

Yu Jong-pil, a spokesman said, “Taking this matter into unexpected quarters of a color dispute for political reasons, and oppositely, supporting unconditionally or gilding the situation should all be restrained.”

United New Party for Participatory Citizens says “color dispute is McCarthyism”: The United New Party for Participatory Citizens criticized that GNP’s color dispute offensive is a ‘McCarthyism attempt’.

Rep. Kim Gun-tae said,“GNP’s color dispute is a destructive expression and a talking of a big shot spy is not suitable in the 21st century,” taking a similar position.

Meanwhile, inside the party, a realism, “Expressing warm feelings to Song, and taking unnecessary misunderstanding isn’t needed”, atmosphere is taking on. It is also the reason why the question of ‘considering diplomatic relation with Germany’ is shaking.

Yeon-Wook Jung Hyung-gwon Pu jyw11@donga.com bookum90@donga.com