she is accused of using the secret services to win last year's presidential elections

» 11/26/2013 14:03
SOUTH KOREA
Government brands pro-democracy priest as "enemy" of the nation
by Joseph Yun Li-sun
Fr Park Chang-shin, a priest from the Diocese of Jeonju and a member of the Catholic Priests' Association for Justice, celebrated a Mass in which he demanded that the government be held accountable for fraud and interference by the secret services in the 2012 elections. Speaking on tensions with the North, he said that it was natural for Pyongyang to attack the island because the South and the US held military exercises near its sea border. Outraged, the government is pressing charges against him. With police around Seoul cathedral, Seoul archbishop notes, "It is not the role of priests to directly intervene in political or social organisations".

Seoul (AsiaNews) - State prosecutors announced an investigation into Fr Park Chang-shin, a member of the Catholic Priests' Association for Justice (CPAJ) from Jeonju Diocese, over statements he made on Friday calling for the resignation of current President Park Geun-hye. Daughter of the late Park Chung-hye, who ruled South Korea with an iron fist for many years, she is accused of using the secret services to win last year's presidential elections (19 December 2012).

During his homily, Fr Park spoke about the "process of creating an enemy", election fraud and South Korea's undemocratic climate. Towards the end, he also noted that it was natural for North Korea to attack Yeonpyeong Island because the South and the US held military exercises near its sea border.

The government and President Park's ruling right-wing Saenuri party reacted to the statement with outrage. President Park yesterday said she would not tolerate any attempts to cause social division and hurt national unity. Prime Minister Chung Hong-won said Fr Park's remarks were "destructive to the country and supportive of the enemy". The Defence minister labelled the clergyman an "enemy" of the nation.

In the meantime, "We have assigned the case," a prosecutor said. "We are, however, still in discussions with others, including the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, on which prosecution office will investigate the case as several other petitions have been filed" against Fr Park.

For its part, Saenuri yesterday called for a national demonstration against South Korea's enemies in front of Seoul's Myeongdong Cathedral, 274 km from where the clergyman gave his offending sermon. Police (pictured) was deployed around the place of worship for protection.

A Catholic source in Seoul told AsiaNews that when "the air is unbreathable, we all feel under siege. Now in the streets, some people look askance at priests. This is really a bad time."

On Sunday during the Mass marking the end of Benedict XVI's Year of faith, the Archbishop of Seoul Andrew Yeom Soo-jung said that Catholics have the right and duty to get involved in politics and keep politicians on the straight and narrow; however, "It is not the role of priests to directly intervene in political or social organisations."

For Fr Park, this is all just smoke and mirrors. In an interview with the Hankyorehnewspaper, he defended his remarks. "They're ignoring the rest of the speech and trying to paint me as 'pro-North'," he said. "I served in the military. I'm a citizen of this country. I want the Republic of Korea to be a good country, a country where we work together and prosper."

"I was talking about the process of creating an enemy," Park explained. "Under the Kim Dae-jung and Roh Moo-hyun", détente with the North was part of their Sunshine Policy, and "North and South tried to interact with each other," and no acts of war never occurred. In his view, extremists want tensions, solving problems by picking new enemies.

Fr Park's position has had some support. An editorial in the Yonhap news agency asked why the government did not answer the priest's direct and circumstantial charges. His spoke for 40 minutes, and they focused on only the last two. Questioning what he said is fine, but the rest of the speech should be considered. In it, he mentioned electoral fraud and secret services' help in the last election.

Similarly, a cartoon in Hankyoreh portrays President Park, in a military uniform in use at the time when her father ruled South Korea with an iron fist, giving orders to a rightwing crowd to attack a priest, who is alone with a sign that reads 'Truth and Justice'.

위글을 보면서 답답하다.

"박근혜 사퇴하라"         - 당신 조국이 어디야?

"천안함은 좌초됐다"      - 당신 조국이 어디야?

"국가보안법 폐지하라"   - 당신 조국이 어디야? 

"한미FTA 반대한다"       - 당신 조국이 어디야?

"반값등록금 실시하라"   - 당신 조국이 어디야?

 

'생각의 조국'을 묻는 것은 국가주의자들의 일관된 문법이다. 

저들이 말하는 '조국'이 어디인지는 몰라도 아마 내 조국과는 다른 나라일거다. 

적어도 나의 조국은 사상의 자유가 보장된 민주국가라고 믿고 있으니 말이다. 

한국말을 쓰고 한국 땅에 살고 있는 사람의 조국이 한국이라는 것을 저들도 모를 리 없다. 

그럼에도 저 궁금쟁이들은 왜 자꾸 남의 조국을 캐묻는 걸까?

 "당신 조국이 어디야?"라는 질문의 속내는 이렇다.

 

‘당신도 한국사람이면서 어떻게 그런 생각을 할 수가 있어’

 

즉 '사람'이 아닌 '생각'의 국적을 묻는 것이다. 

권위에 도전하면 절대 안된다는 생각이 굳어져 있다.

사람들의 관념에 국적이 존재한다고 믿는 국가주의적 상상력, 

무엇에든 국적을 부여한다는 점에서 저들의 신념은 주술과도 같다. 

과격한 국가주의자들의 사고는 조국에서 시작돼 조국으로 귀결된다.

과연 정치적 견해에 국적이 존재하는 것일까? 

나의 가치관은 조국의 이데올로기에 의해 결정된 산물일까?

나의 가치관으로 조국을 묻는 이들에게 한마디 하고 싶다.

" 니 똥구녕이나 잘 닦아라~~! "