Pro-North Radio Speaker Riles GNP

After a strong supporter of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il appeared on domestic radio shows and made comments on behalf of Pyongyang’s stance, the Grand National Party has complained on this matter.

Often dubbed as the “unofficial spokesperson for Kim Jong Il,” Kim Myong-chol, executive director of Center for Korean-American Peace and a resident in Japan, had telephone interviews with two morning radio shows on October 12, namely, “Good Morning, this is Lee Mong-ryong” of KBS 1st Radio, and “Sohn Suk-hee Focus” of MBC FM. On air, he claimed that, “If the (UN) treats us with sanctions and blockades, we (North Korea) will regard them as actions of war, which means that Tokyo and New York will also be turned into hells on earth and that they want to test us if we’re just bluffing or not.” Kim said, “The war could be extended from a limited war to a full-scale one and we won’t stay idle kept being beaten. The destiny of the Korean Peninsula will be totally concluded within a week.”

Being asked whether they would launch a nuclear missile toward South Korea as a reaction to an American preemptive strike, he answered, “In the current circumstance, negative. However, if some troops stand for the U.S. side and enters the war, it would become a different story. Seoul should stay neutral and keep the U.S. Forces stationing in South from taking military action.”

Concerning the “physical corresponding measures,” recently mentioned by the North Korean Foreign Ministry’s spokesperson, he explained “it refers to further nuclear tests. Although our last test was limited in scale, this time it will be bigger and more. We can even test an H-bomb.” Regarding the intentions of the nuclear test, he said, “It means that we won’t avoid terminal cataclysm facing relations with Washington. It’s either us or the U.S. that will lose. If they take a preemptive strike, it would be their suicide application.”

“All problems will be solved if Washington announces that they would establish diplomatic relation with Pyongyang and sign a peace agreement,” contended Kim. “Do you think there would be any need left for us to possess nuclear arms when there’s no tension with Washington?”

Dr. Kim claimed that after visiting Pyongyang in January he is keeping touch with a high-ranked authority in Pyongyang and his comments are results of communication with the North Korean leadership.

Concerning these interviews, Jun Yeo-ok, spokesperson of the Grand National Party supreme council, commented, “How could a person who refers North Korea as ‘us’ be on air for more than 10 minutes through public and prime broadcasting stations of the Republic of Korea, spilling out unfiltered logics on behalf of Pyongyang? Those who listened to it might have been shocked.”

Jun said, “Now that even the Prime Minister Han Myeong-sook is placing responsibility on the U.S., the broadcasting companies seem to be imbued. It’s like the public radio turned on red propagandas to its own people. We will investigate this case.”

Sohn Suk-hee, host of one of the radio shows, concerned, saying, “After recording the interview, we also considered carefully whether to filter it or not, but decided to put it on air in its original form since we concluded that it would be helpful to get an idea of what the hardliners of North Korea might be thinking.”

jkmas@donga.com