From the article of 'Petrel'
No.660 / January 1, 1998

Please send us your opinion and the impression about this article without reservation.

We cannot have fantasy to Kim Dae-jung.

"A Fighter for democratization" who cooperates with conservatives.
He hoists "National integration" and has pardoned the reactionary sect.

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Kim Dae-jung of the opposition party, the National Conference acquires 10,300 thousands votes (40.3%) and broke Lee Hoi-chang of the ruling New Korea Party that acquired 9,940 thousands votes (38.7%) by the South Korea President election on the 18th. It is the first alternation of the regime from the government party to the opposition party on the South Korea political history. The mass communication talks about "the settlement of the South Korea democracy" alike and is likely to expect on Kim Dae-jung as "the fighter of democracy." Our Communist Party also writes up "there is something to be paid attention in the flow of the democratization" looking back to the step of the South Korea politics after 80's, the winning of Kim Dae-jung who has the career fought against the military administration "symbolically shows the flow of the history." However, is Kim Dae-jung being said to be "the fighter of democracy" so splendid character? Can the worker expect on the Kim Dae-jung regime?
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The majority maneuver not caring how one looks.

The election at this time was a virtual man-to-man fight of Kim Dae-jung and Lee Hoi-chang. It is the fight between Kim Dae-jung, "the fighter of democracy," who is the leader of the National Congress for New Politics and it becomes the fourth challenge to the President election for him, and Lee Hoi-chang who is the party leader of the ruling New Korea Party, and worked a former judge, the audit director, and the prime minister, etc. The result was Kim Dae-jung's victory by the little difference of about 400 thousands votes and 1.6% in vote rates.

Kim Dae-jung acquired over 3 millions votes and overwhelmed with 93% in vote rate in his home, the Kwangju and the Chollado, at first, and maintained the top at such as Seoul City (45%), Chungchongdo (43%), and Kyongido (39%) and supplemented the weakness at such as Kyongsangbukto (13%) and Kyongsangnamdo (13%). The one working advantageously to Kim Dae-jung at this time would be the thing that the government party divided in two and Rhee In Je of the conservative sect acquired 510 thousands votes (31%) at Kyongsangnamdo and did not permit the overwhelming vote of Lee Hoi-chang (910 thousands votes and 55%). Though the difference of 4 millions votes or more was applied in Kyongsangdo and Pusan in the last fight with Kim Young Sam, it stayed at 3 millions votes at this time and Kim Dae-jung got away by a little difference.

The currency and financial crisis are clarified in the president election at this time and the South Korea government was cornered to the place to request the help of IMF in December. In the circumstances, it became the shape pushing up Kim Dae-jung of the opposition party who had been pursuing the political responsibility to the president in place of Lee Hoi-chang who called for "the continuance and stability" of government party. This was the result of the criticism of people to the present regime rather than the aggressive support to Kim Dae-jung.

At the same time, Kim Dae-jung resorted all maneuvers to win the election. He made an agreement executing the Parliament-cabinet system with the United Liberal Democrats led by Kim Jong Pil, the political opponent before, and planned to open "the age of grand national integration exceeding the region, the hierarchy, and the generation by unification" of the candidates. Kim Jong Pil is the creator of KCIA abducted Kim Dae-jung from the hotel in Tokyo in 1973. He was then the Prime Minister and was one of the leaders who supported the Park Chung-hee despotism. He cooperated with such a man who had "erased democracy" to become the president, too.

Moreover, he established cooperation with the conservative big-name politician Park Tai-joon (the former Chairman of the Pohang Comprehensive Ironworks) who worked the highest managing staff of the government party at Roh Tae-woo regime. Kim Dae-jung attended to overcome "the wall of regional feelings" by getting the support of these conservative politicians. (To see the election result, though there was few expansion of the vote in Kyongsangdo, the Park Tai-joon's home, he piled much more vote than that of the last time by over 10% in Chungchongdo, the Kim Jong-pil's home, and push up the vote rate to the first place.) In addition, when the popularity of the feu president Park Chung-hee rose, who denied democracy, drove away Kim Dae-jung to foreign countries, and had pressed the house arrest and imprisonment before, Kim Dae-jung visited the parents' home of Park Chung-hee in Kumi of Kyongsangbukto and talked as he wanted to have "made up" during his life. He made a speech as follows promising the construction of the commemoration pavilion that was not able to have done though some candidates promised up to now.

"I feel as if hearing of the voice from among the soil, 'Mr. Kim Dae-jung, please do' the reconciliation cannot have made during the President Park's life and the thing President Park have left."

What is "Fighter of democracy" not ashamed of even paying nauseating compliments to Park Chung-hee whom he criticized as "Dictator," "Naysayer of democracy" before? It might be easy to see the unprincipled and the opportunism of "Democrat" here.

Kim Dae-jung is praising democracy as "The victory of this time means that the policy having been neglecting democracy with wholly devoted in economy changes to the policy valuing economy and democracy at the same time." However, we must say that the fact was quite empty.

Kim Dae-jung certainly has the career to hoist "Democracy" and to be compelled such as abduction, capital punishment decision, and defection. In the political life extending over 40 years, he had been put in the prison 6 years, compelled the house arrest and the defection life 10 years, and received the capital punishment decision in the Kwangju event.

However, what he had done in the president election at this time is to cooperate with the political opponents and to shelve their crimes. This exposes how irresponsible his advocating "Democracy" is. I wonder whether the fraudulent nature of the Communist Party is clear, which praises such a character as if a "Fighter of democracy" and beautifies the president assumption as the "Flow of democracy."

Following to the IMF agreement

Having become the maximum issue in the president election at this time is the economic problem. He criticized the economic policy of the government party drove ROK into the serious economic crisis and collected the support of the masses. However, he confronts the problem of the "Economic rebuild" this time. His basis is the observance of the IMF agreement for the moment.

The IMF support of 57 billions dollars was decided in December, and various "Structural reformation" were imposed as the condition. At first, Kim Dae-jung spoke about the severe condition as "It is necessary to negotiate again" and was attacked from other camps.
After election, he declared afresh to observe the IMF agreement and is shouting as follows assuming the acceptance of the IMF support to be a "National disgrace." "It is necessary to show the coming back South Korea to the world. The current state is difficult. There is no success without the cooperation of the people."

The South Korea economy is indeed in the state of failure. The financial combine managements have failed by 6 already in this year, which have adhered to powers, have held a big debt, and have been said to be "multi-industrial management" because of expanding from the manufacturing industry to the construction and information industry, and the hotel. The Han Wha combine was driven into the management failure even in this month and the failure of the Korea Securities and of the Tong So Securities continue. The bad debts of the bank and the comprehensive financial company reach 30 trillions won. The currency Won and the stock prices become depressed below the half of the beginning of this year.

The control of the rate of economic growth and the financial expense, the program of the tax increase and the market opening by IMF must bring to the South Korea economy a sharp pain of unemployment and bankruptcy, and the like. It is forecast that the unemployed expand from about 500 thousands present persons to one million and hundreds thousands persons, and the unemployment rate from 2.2% to 6% or more.

Kim Dae-jung will have to bear such "Structural reformation" and "Economic rebuilding" whether he likes or not. He is describing immediately after the winning as follows.

"I liberate all the enterprises from the influence of powers and open the market boldly. Only the enterprises that can adjust to the market economy and can win the world competition are survived. The new government wants to prevent from being the necessity of IMF support by the thorough economic reformation even a day early. I faithfully defend the contents of the conference with the present government by aggressively cooperating with IMF. I will passes the related bills for this early in the Diet."

The President Park Tai-joon of the United Liberal Democrat who cooperated in the election also spoke as "The reformation of the financial organizations holding the bad debts is pressing need and the thing to be purchased by foreign capital is also unavoidable" and the financial cliques are necessary "to toil the rationalization and to convert to the constitution by which they can make a profit."

Thus, the "Fighter of democracy" will stand at the head of the "Rebuild" and the "Relief" of the South Korea capitalism, but it is impossible without pressing thorough victim against the masses of the workers.

It is the unknowns how far he can do such "Economic reformation" because his government party is the minority group in the Diet. (The National Conference and The United Liberal Democrats are 120 seats in total of 299 seats.) However, It will not be deny that he is requested to be the supporter of the bourgeois rebuilding of South Korea.

He has released Chun Doo-hwan and Roh Tae-woo for "National integration."

He had a talk with President Kim Young Sam after being elected and agreed to pardon a one time President Chun Doo-hwan and Roh Tae-woo. He is describing, "The atmosphere to national consensus is necessary" and "I will finish the age of the confrontation and the conflict between regions and become foundation for national reconciliation and integration."

However, were not these two persons the ringleader who suppressed the South Korea democratization movement of 1980 years and massacred people in the Kwangju event? They were convicted due to the civil war and the revolt crime and just received the capital punishment and the decision of the penal servitude of 22 year only two years ago. The thing that this "Conviction" had achieved in the speculation of the powers maintenance of Kim Young Sam did not acquit the crime of their two persons in such as Kwangju events. And, Kim Dae-jung himself received the capital punishment decision by Chun Doo-hwan regimes as "the leader of the disturbance."

He has released the two crime persons under the amnesty at this time. If he values "Democracy," it is necessary to punish severely the party who erases democracy and to fight decisively against the party at least. He might not have the qualification to talk about democracy without that. However, the record of the previous offense is blotted out and the civil rights including eligibility have recovered though the execution concerning the forfeit in the secret capital event is continued to two persons continuously.

What thing is the Kim Dae-jung's "Democracy" on earth? The worker cannot confide such "Democracy" at all, which releases as innocent even the crime person who suppressed the democratization movement and slaughtered the masses.

The "National integration" and the "National harmony" that he advocates are to cooperate with the reactionary dictator. After released, Chun Doo-hwan certainly evaluated Kim Dae-jung as "A reliable character was elected," and moreover suggested his desire to revive his political influence as "I will make an effort with Kim Dae-jung. I want him to make the mother country of which we are able to boast even in future. I will contribute aggressively with doing my bit."

The worker cannot beautify President Kim Dae-jung who was newly born as the "Fighter of democracy." He is rather a supporter of the "Rebuild" of the South Korea capitalism and has nothing except to press the difficulty against the workers. Though he shouts, "the national reconciliation and integration," it is nothing but to build up the national cooperation system aiming at the "Rebuild" of the South Korea capitalism and to drag the worker also in that. (It is complete follow and surrender to the capital.)

The worker cannot have any expectation and fantasy to the Kim Dae-jung regime.

(Akito Yamada)