Clash looms over altar for Kim Jong-il

Members of civic group Korea Solidarity hold a news conference at the government complex building in downtown Seoul, Monday, to demand that the government allow both private and official condolence delegations to visit Pyongyang for the funeral of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il. / Yonhap

By Na Jeong-ju

A group of pro-North Korean activists said Monday they will set up a memorial altar in downtown Seoul to offer condolences to the late North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, triggering a backlash from South Korean society.

Police said they will prevent the group, comprising those convicted of violating the anti-communist National Security Law, from constructing the altar. The group had asked for permission to hold an assembly in front of Deoksu Palace near Seoul Plaza and create the altar there, but their request was refused, police said.

The group, however, vowed to go ahead with its plan, sparking concerns about possible clashes with police and conservative groups.

“It is people’s basic right in a democratic society to pay respect to anyone deceased,” the group said in a statement. “We believe that South Korean people should also be given chances to mourn the death of the North Korean leader.”

The group said it had asked the government to allow a visit to Pyongyang, but the request was rejected. Instead, it is seeking to establish an altar in Seoul in honor of Kim.

Seoul decided not to send an official condolence delegation to the communist nation, but allowed civilians or private organizations to send their messages of condolences. Any requests by private groups for condolence visits were rejected, except for the families of late South Korean President Kim Dae-jung and late Hyundai Group chairman Chung Mong-hun.

North Korea declared a 13-day mourning period through Thursday from the day of Kim’s death on Dec. 17. It won’t accept foreign delegations at a state funeral set for Wednesday in the North Korean capital.

An ideological divide is showing signs of deepening here over Kim’s death.

On Monday, three Seoul National University (SNU) students created a memorial altar inside the school to pay respect to Kim, but it was shortly removed by school officials, the school said.

Last week, one of the students, identified as Park, 22, proposed the setup of the altar in front of the student council building “to show our collective wish for peace on the Korean Peninsula and promote inter-Korean reconciliation.”

Most SNU students and graduates reacted negatively.

“We used to set up altars to honor those who sacrificed themselves for the country’s democracy. Was Kim a democratic fighter? He was just a terrorist who killed a number of Korean people,” said a message posted on the school’s website.

Some students also vowed to destroy the altar if it is set up.

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