Pro-North Groups Turn Up Rhetoric

Pro-North Korean organizations such as the Solidarity for Practice of the South-North Joint Declaration and the National Alliance of Youth and Students for the Country`s Reunification are announcing New Year’s messages one after another. The contents of these messages are, however, similar to the North’s joint editorials released in celebration of the New Year and contain phrases like, “Make a grand coalition against conservative forces in preparation for the presidential elections,” and “Resist against the Grand National Party (GNP).”

The Solidarity for Practice of the South-North Joint Declaration said in its New Year statement posted on its website Tuesday that, “The victory in the presidential elections signifies peaceful unification, and the defeat a war. Those who love the people, peace and self-reliance should all unite together for the victory of the presidential elections.”

The South Korean Headquarters of the National Alliance of Youth and Students for the Country`s Reunification also said in its New Year statement that, “We must strike a critical blow to the GNP to prevent it from recovering,” and “We must establish a grand alliance against conservative forces and aggregate all our means to crumble the attempts of extreme rightist forces like the GNP and New Rightists and prevent them from regaining power.”

The Alliance of Youth and Students for Practicing the South-North Joint Declaration said in an article on Sunday, “The conservative forces like the U.S. and the GNP are frantically making efforts to win the upcoming presidential elections.” “Progressive and reformist forces must fight fiercely against conservative forces as they did to annul the impeachment of the president.”

These pro-North Korean organizations did not make New Year messages last year. However, this year, they pledged their involvement in the presidential elections in chorus through New Year’s messages. In particular, these statements whose contents are similar to those of the North are expected to create a controversy since there is rising criticism in the country that the announcement of North’s joint editorials on January 1 which encourages anti-U.S. and anti-GNP movements and specifically targets South Korea’s presidential elections is wrongful intervention in the South’s domestic affairs.

Meanwhile, the Preparatory Committee for the Alliance for Progressive Forces in Korea, which is comprised of various progressive parties and civic groups, is expected to launch on January 9, and the Solidarity for Practice of the South-North Joint Declaration is expected to join the new alliance. Many other progressive groups are also forecast to join the alliance which will officially launch in March for a political struggle ahead of the presidential elections.

ditto@donga.com