Praising a communist

Communism was once a fad among Korean intellectuals when their country was under Japanese colonial rule. Though communism ended up an utter failure later, anti-Japan armed struggle based on the ideology of proletarian revolution looked like the best means for Korea to gain independence from Japan. Anti-Japan fighters naturally used China as the main stage for their battles.

Among them was “revolutionist” Kim San. Once an anarchist, he joined the Chinese Communist Party to launch anti-Japan struggles. He was executed in 1938 under the trumped-up charge of spying for Japan. Kim’s turbulent life became known to the world through Nym Wales’s novel “Song of Arirang.” Though the book was first published in 1941, it was released in Korea in 1986.

The documentary film “Musician Chung Yul-seong Rattles a Continent with 1.3 Billion People” aired on KBS Sunday has stirred controversy. The program praised the musician, saying, “Chung was selected one of the 100 founders of the new China, and is a proud Korean who is respected as one of the three greatest modern musicians in China.” He joined the Korean War as a Chinese soldier, however, and composed “The Korean People’s Army March,” which became North Korea’s official military song, for North Korea founder Kim Il Sung. Turning a blind eye to Chung’s pro-North and communist actions, KBS glossed over main points of Chung’s life and portrayed him as a hero in the documentary.

Britain, home to the BBC, is promoting “national identity and a sense of community” as a guiding principle of public broadcasting. The BBC made a documentary about two leaders of the Irish Republic Army in 1986. The British government, however, opposed the airing of the documentary based on the principle. KBS producer Park Geon, who produced the documentary about Chung, said in a newspaper article, “The system I want to protect is not one that descendants of pro-Japan forces and puppets of authoritarian governments are still leading prosperous lives by exploiting Cold War ideologies.” Park should make his stance clear if praising a communist who aimed his gun at South Korea as a puppet of the world’s most egregious dictator Kim Il Sung, is what public broadcaster KBS should do. South Koreans might want to know what KBS President Kim In-gyu thought of the program, which has undermined the national identity of the Republic of Korea.

Editorial Writer Ha Tae-won (triplets@donga.com)