Protest singer satires left-wing politicians

An Chi-hwan Courtesy of A&L Entertainment

In a new song, An Chi-hwan calls some former democracy activists 'opportunists'

By Park Ji-won

An Chi-hwan, a composer and folk singer-songwriter famous for his protest songs during the pro-democracy movements in the 1980s, criticized unspecified liberal and progressive politicians for their self-serving, opportunistic behavior in his recent song.

The protest singer's rare open criticism of the former democracy fighters came as a surprise because he was also part of the pro-democracy protests.

In his new song titled "Irony," released online on Tuesday, he dubs the liberal politicians "opportunists". "An insignificant, miserable creature tries to curry favor with those in power. He wears an armband made of bean powder," the lyrics read.

Bean powder is a euphemism for "profits or earnings from corrupt transactions," depending on the circumstances. So wearing an armband made of bean powder seems to mean that those unspecified politicians are involved in illicit activities or using their power to increase their wealth.

"They say liberalism nurtured them. Go away, opportunists," the song reads.

His song also has lyrics like "the like-minded are in a crazy dance," "poor attention-seekers stuck in old habits" referring to those in power now who are no different from politicians in previous governments.

In a recent interview with Hankyoreh newspaper, An said the song was about opportunistic left-wing politicians who benefited from the popular movement in 2016 and 2017 to impeach President Park Geun-hye, but now serve their own interests rather than the people's. He dismissed some conservative newspapers which interpreted his new song as an attack on the liberal camp.

The Moon Jae-in government was able to rise to power thanks to extensive support from the public, but his administration is widely seen as not living up to their expectations. Last year Moon's popularity tumbled when he appointed the embattled Cho Kuk as justice minister. Cho resigned after a month amid criminal accusations against his family and himself, and people see him as little more than a "Gangnam liberal," a part of the wealthy elite who profess to speak for the common people. However, An doesn't single out any particular political figures in his song.

The satirical song came as a surprise to those who remember An's history with the pro-democracy movement in the 1980s.

In the 1980s, An was the most-sought-after singer in protest songs. Due to his unrivaled popularity, he was called the "father of protest songs."

He rose to stardom among college students with his song, "Sol-a-sol-a" (pine trees) with lyrics about yearning for freedom and democracy.

It was the song that went viral after he first sang in the election to select a Yonsei University student representative when An was a college senior. One of his close friends ran for the election as a candidate and he asked An to sing for him to rally support from fellow students in the election, a request he accepted. His friend, however, lost the election.

Days later, An got a phone call from Woo Sang-ho who won the student representative election. Woo, now a lawmaker of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, kindly asked him if he could sing the song in the ceremony to celebrate his taking over the student leadership.

"This is the power of song," An later said in a media interview.

"Songs are strong and they can move and impress your enemy and make them be on the same page with you. Singing for causes can be part of a cultural movement because songs have such a power to move the public."

In the 1980s, protest songs were ubiquitous and they were heard everywhere in the streets, in squares and around campuses because the 1980s was the era for popular democracy protests.

Protest songs were a critical part of the pro-democracy movement which reached its peak in the 1980s and protest singers like An received a hero's welcome at the rallies.

In 1989, he joined the group No Chat Sa, a Korean acronym for People Seeking Songs, which was popular among college students. Their second album sold over 500,000.

An's criticism toward fellow liberals, however, didn't happen overnight. In a media interview earlier this year, the singer revealed his discontent with the failure of the 1980s pro-democracy movement to stay relevant.

"Music consumers are accustomed to songs in line with capitalism, but protest singers reject such trends. It is okay to reject such trends intentionally, but if they resist change because they are not able to make popular songs, that's a problem. This can be one of the reasons why protest songs aren't as prominent anymore," he said.

He didn't criticize liberals at that time, but his remarks indicate that he is no longer on the same page with lapsed liberal politicians who turn a blind eye to the ever-changing tastes of music consumers.

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