TV Host Refuses to Be Identified as Leftist
In South Korea's political landscape, the confrontation between the two ideologically different camps - left and right - have been a familiar scene. A foreigner from a former Soviet Union country recently remarked South Korea as an "interesting" country in that "it has the world's 13th largest economy. But it still has a strong leftist voice within, unlike many other industrial countries."
Not only is the political ideological identification is "interesting," but it is also sensitive. For example, a famous South Korean TV host refused to be identified as a "leftist" in a live-televised TV debate that sought to bridge the gap between the two camps.
"How come I belong to the leftist camp?" said Sohn Suk-hee, arguably the most well-known and respected TV host in South Korea, in response to an insinuating remark from a participant of his program, ``The MBC 100-Minute Debate.''
The debate program, titled "Beyond the Left and Right: Seeking a Win-win Solution," aired early Friday, soon became a platform for the panelists from the two camps to accuse each other of dividing the nation.
In the heat of the moment, professor Jin Joong-kwon, a representative of the progressive camp, said, "The conservative camp calls anyone who supported the pro-Roh Moo-hyun Uri Party as 'leftists.' But according to the strict definition of political economy, they are actually not." He then went on: "Some even say Sohn Suk-hee is a leftist," according to JoongAng Ilbo Saturday.
Apparently, Sohn didn't expect himself to become the subject of the debate.
Sohn yet immediately countered Jin's remark, by saying: "How come I belong to the leftist group?"
Professor Park Hyo-jong of Seoul National University, representing the conservative camp, cautioned the participants that in South Korea, the term "leftist" often carries a negative connotation of indicating those who are sympathetic toward North Korea , and proposed them to use the term, "progressive" instead.
When the two camps continued to debate Sohn's ideological orientation, Sohn cut in and tried to explain his position. "I am clearly in the neutral position. And if I have to be more specific, I would say I am a humanist."
Upon hearing this, a conservative panel member, Jeon Won-check, a lawyer, smilingly pointed out: "Whether it's humanism or humanitarianism, it doesn't matter. Because that's where the leftist thinking starts."