Korean Government Remains Quiet on MacArthur Controversy

One of my commenters fortunately pointed out this article in the Christian Science Monitor about the controversy surrounding the General MacArthur statue in Incheon. The article talks about the generational gap between older Koreans who respect the US-ROK alliance and younger protesters who want to end it. Here is an excerpt of some of the usual propaganda put out by the anti-American crowd:

“General MacArthur is a maniac for war,” says one professor, Kang Jeong Ku, whose comments are handed out in fliers at demonstrations.

That remark has the full support of the quasi-governmental National Human Rights Commission, which fueled the protest with a statement condemning MacArthur as “a war criminal who massacred numerous civilians.”

Indeed, the commission adds, “To induce or force children to respect such a person by erecting a statue of him and teaching them that he is a great figure is a national disgrace and greatly injures the dignity of our people.”

If this National Human Rights Commission is connected to the government it seems that President Roh has an obligation to comment on policy being put out by this government agency. However, President Roh is continuing to keep quiet on this issue:

Leftists deny disloyalty to South Korean leaders as the South pursues reconciliation with the North. In fact, they say the protest against the statue supports government policy – and view it as a symbol of much more strenuous demands for US troops to leave South Korea altogether.

Neither Roh nor local authorities have publicly opposed the campaign against the statue, but policemen guard it round the clock with reinforcements ready to rush in when protests get unruly.

Both the protesters and a government affiliated agency are claiming they are supporting national government policy and President Roh or anyone else has yet to comment on this issue.

The Mayor of Incheon has at least released a statement:

Inchon’s mayor, Ahn Sang Soo, who recently visited North Korea promoting Incheon’s role as a regional hub serving both Koreas, prefers not to speak out, but a spokesman says, “We’re going to keep the statue as it has historical meaning.”

It is still kind of cowardly to not come out and speak for yourself about an issue that is having such an impact on the city, but at least a representative gave a statement. Why hasn’t a spokesman for President Roh released a statement yet?

The US Embassy here should be demanding a comment from the Korean government about the policy regarding the General MacArthur statue. With so many other people making claim they are supporting government policy the Korean government should at least speak up and let people know where they stand on this. The US Embassy should make an official request demanding answers to if the official Korean government policy is that General MacArthur is a war criminal and responsible for many massacres. The US government should put them on the spot for a change.

There was a quote in the article from the legendary Korean War General Paik Sun Yup I liked:

For Korean War veterans, any affront to the statue is a national disgrace, stirring the passions of patriotism that match the leftist convictions in intensity. Retired General Paik Sun Yup, who rallied, organized and led fledgling South Korean troops in some of the toughest fighting of the Korean War, talks about MacArthur’s legacy as a hero in his own time and an example for the future.

“We have to preserve the statue for peace in our country,” he says, reminding veterans that the statue was erected in 1957 with funds collected by a Korean committee. “Many people in the United States and our country were worried about the Inchon landing. The tide was very severe, and the landing seemed impossible, but General MacArthur made one of the greatest decisions in world history. As communism was in danger of taking our country, he rescued us.”

I have actually met General Paik before, he speaks English, has a sharp memory, and is a real hero who played a key role in saving this country from communism. He is also a strong supporter of the US-ROK alliance. It is good to see him speak up for the General MacArthur statue. Anyone know if General Paik is being quoted in the Korean language press? He is the type of person that can sway public opinion for USFK.

With the Korean government still trying to buy the land near Pyongtaek for the Yongsan and 2ID move there, expect these protests and the highlighting of all the GI crimes in the Korean media to continue. The anti-American crowd’s agenda is to have the general population in Pyongtaek to turn against the US forces moving there.

To do that the protestors want to revise history to stoke Korean pride and anger such is the case with the MacArthur statue and the Nogun-ri controversy, plus continue to beat the image of thug GIs, followed by blaming the US for anything else like the failure of the six party talks to whatever else comes up. It will continue to pile up until a decision is made to buy the land.

The anti-American crowd actually want the land to be bought because when it is bought and the people have to be forcibly removed, trust me this will be when all hell breaks loose down there and we will see if the anti-American crowds efforts now at stoking the passions of the general Korean population come to fruition.

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By the way if you haven’t read General Paik’s book from Pusan to Panmunjom you should. This is the only English language book I have read that gives a description of the Korean War from the Korean perspective. I developed a new appreciation of what the ROK Army did during the Korean War from reading this book. Highly recommended.