[KS] Reminder: Statement from Professors in North America Concerned about Korean Democracy

[Werner Sasse]

I wished this kind of discussion on this list would stop right here. As I understand, this list is for scholarly descriptions or questions and for academic exchange rather than for active political discussions. The reason, why I am uneasy, is reflected in the following remarks on Kirk's contribution.

Back to academic work

Werner Sasse


 


Date: Tue, 9 Jun 2009 19:17:12 -0700
From: kirkdon at yahoo.com
To: koreanstudies at koreaweb.ws
Subject: Re: [KS] Reminder: Statement from Professors in North America Concerned about Korean Democracy






Thanks to Scott Burgeon for passing on that commentary in the Korea Herald. 

That was o.k., as it simply showed the other side

That pretentiously overwritten statement that people are asked to sign assumes a self-righteousness that may not be altogether justified. 

I don't know about "not justified", but  I did not like the tone, either.

It doesn't begin to recognize the complexity of the discussion, the existence of quite different views 

They are there, but the question is, who voices them and with what press and with what financial and political power.

 -- or the often violent challenge posed for months by last year's anti-U.S.-beef demonstrators to the democratic principles they claim to uphold.

Well, some very serious correction is needed here: the demonstrations started as "anti-US-beef" supported by a small crowd, but because of the sudden omnipresence of an unbelievable mass of police, coupled with derogatery press reports, they soon turned into "anti-President" and "anti-present-politics" demonstrations by a large crowd. "Anti-US-beef" became a minor issue. Scott should have noticed that living in the police corridor like I did

 Nor, as the Korea Herald commentary noted, would any such omniscient statement writers, in defense of the democracy they purport to love, consider for a moment decrying North Korea's violations of human rights, much less its nuclear and missile tests and the challenge they pose to democracy..

I fail to see what these issues have to do with developments in the political climate in S-Kor. The statement looks to me like trying to shift the focus from looking at the growing antagonism in the political scene and social climate in S-Kor to cheap blaming of what is certainly horrible but not taking place in S-Kor...

 

 Heaven forbid such criticism would be relevant to any nefarious doings in the people's paradise where democracy reigns above mortal criticism.. 
Donald Kirk

--- On Tue, 6/9/09, J.Scott Burgeson <jsburgeson at yahoo.com> wrote:



From: J.Scott Burgeson <jsburgeson at yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: [KS] Reminder: Statement from Professors in North America Concerned about Korean Democracy
To: "Korean Studies Discussion List" <koreanstudies at koreaweb.ws>
Date: Tuesday, June 9, 2009, 8:53 PM



In the interest of "democracy" and "freedom of speech," a counterview on the subject of South Korea's allegedly disappearing democracy:

http://www.koreaherald.co.kr/NEWKHSITE/data/html_dir/2009/06/10/200906100059.asp

--J. Scott Burgeson, Chongno


      


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