By Park Si-soo
In death, as in life, Hwang Jang-yop, the highest-ranking North Korean defector and the architect of its state philosophy, is setting off a hostile debate, pitting conservative activists against liberalists here.
This time, the debate centers on his burial site.
Hwang will be buried at the Daejeon National Cemetery, Thursday, the last day of a five-day mourning period, after the government awarded him a first-class Order of Civic Merit, Tuesday.
Earning a state medal is a precondition to be buried at the honorary site, which is reserved for fallen soldiers from the 1950-1950 Korean War, proven patriots and state medal awardees.
Conservative politicians and activists have orchestrated his burial at the cemetery 150 kilometers south of Seoul since his death. They touted Hwang ― a former secretary of the North Korean Workers’ Party and tutor of current leader Kim Jong-il ― as a “patriot” who disclosed the tragic reality of the North to the world despite constant death threats from Pyongyang.
Liberals say no
In contrast, liberal politicians and civic groups oppose the burial there, citing his key role in creating the “juche” or self-reliance ideology, on which the poverty-stricken state has been extending an unprecedented father-to-son power transfer into a third generation, deepening the woes of the people there. Hwang received a state medal in 1982 from Kim Il-sung, the founder of North Korea.
A recent survey showed a wide gap on the issue among ordinary citizens ― 40.6 percent of 700 people surveyed said the burial should go ahead, while 36.3 percent said it should not.
The 87-year-old was found dead of a heart attack in his bathtub at home in southern Seoul, Sunday morning.
Public Administration Minister Maeng Hyung-kyu said Tuesday the medal was granted to the late Hwang in recognition of “his efforts to publicize to the world about the harsh reality in the North and help improve human rights conditions in the reclusive state.”
Presidential Chief of Staff Yim Tae-hee quoted President Lee Myung-bak as saying, “Hwang had seen the grief of history firsthand. It’s the state’s responsibility to take care of him, while he was alive and even now that he is dead.”
Former President Kim Young-sam, an honorary chairman of a committee organizing Hwang’s funeral, also described him as a “righteous” person. Hwang fled to Seoul during Kim’s presidency.
Key conservative leaders, including Rep. Park Geun-hye, a former chairwoman of the ruling Grand National Party, Rep. Lee Hoi-chang, president of the conservative opposition Liberty Forward Party, personally paid tribute to Hwang.
Liberal circles put a chill on his death.
Unlike conservative politicians, key members of liberal-minded opposition parties paid condolences reluctantly, stressing that they were paying their respects out of obligation.
The opposition Democratic Party (DP) floor leader Park Jie-won led a small delegation and paid a visit to a memorial altar, Tuesday. The party’s new chairman, Sohn Hak-kyu, was not present. “Personally, I had many problems with Hwang,” Park said briefly.
The late Hwang was virtually placed under house arrest during the presidency of two liberal and pro-North Korea presidents ― Kim Dae-jung and Roh Moo-hyun.
Under their consecutive rule from 1998 to 2007, the vocal critic of the Kim Jong-il regime was forced to stay quiet and faced overseas travel bans for fear that his uncontrolled remarks could do harm to the then smooth inter-Korean relations.
“We wonder how Hwang improved our lives,” said Kim Jong-cheol, spokesman of the New Jinbo Party. “His words and behavior over the last years of his life actually increased tensions between the two Koreas.”
