’Norway will never back down’

By Park Si-soo

Norway is still reeling in the aftermath of the deadly explosion near the government building in Oslo and the ensuing shooting rampage at a summer retreat last month.

Many people in the Scandinavian nation are still in mourning and shock over the death of more than 80 people in the attacks solely committed by right-wing extremist Anders Behring Breivik. The two incidents have also dealt a devastating blow to the country’s peaceful image built upon its annual hosting of the Nobel Peace Prize award ceremony.

The top Norwegian envoy in Seoul called the two events a “national tragedy” that he thought could never happen in his country. Yet he said these events have provided an impetus for the Norwegian people to unite more closely than ever and for their country to become a stronger nation.

“The people of Norway are still in mourning and shock. Gradually, however, we now see a strong will to come out of this tragedy as a stronger nation and to fight for the values which the Norwegian people believe in, such as a freedom, tolerance and openness,” said Norwegian Ambassador Didrik Tonseth.

“It’s my clear impression that these tragic events have brought a coherent Norwegian people even closer together. Moreover, Norwegian society’s uniform response to the tragedy has made minority groups in Norway feel more included into the mainstream of society.”

The prime suspect of the attacks has confessed to his acts, saying they were “necessary” as part of a “crusade” he was waging against Muslim immigration to Europe and multicultural policies, according to his lawyer.

The suspect is now in custody at a high-security prison near Oslo, Norway’s capital. The ambassador said, in addition to the police investigation, an independent commission will look into all factual aspects of the attacks, including how the authorities responded.

“The purpose is to see what can be learned from what happened,” Tonseth said.

He was told about the explosion in the Oslo government complex by his colleague’s son at around 11 p.m. on July 22, when he was enjoying a party with the colleague’s family.

“We were shocked,” he recollected. He said, as it turned out, this was a “forewarning” of an even worse tragedy to come, referring to the shooting rampage on Utoeya Island near Oslo, in which the attacker shot dead 69 people, many of them teenagers, gathered on the island for the Labor Party youth wing’s summer retreat.

Earlier, eight people were killed and another 89 injured by a car bomb planted near government buildings.

“This was, of course, a horrible shock to all Norwegians,” Tonseth said. “Everyone has met these actions with disbelief and condemnation.”

He said his country’s top priority has been to take care of the injured and those who have lost their loved ones.

“The whole of Norwegian society joined these efforts. Hundreds of thousands of people joined in silent manifestations in Oslo to show their compassion,” he said. “What perhaps also stands out is how the members of our royal family have joined with the prime minister in leading solace and comfort to families of the victims.”

The stepbrother of the princess of Norway was one of the first victims gunned down on the island.

“If one man can show so much hatred, imagine how much love we can show together,” said the ambassador, citing a popular quote in Norway following the tragedy.

Lesson to Korea

The ambassador stressed the significance of “embracement” and “openness” in order to prevent a repeat of such a racism-driven tragedy in Korea.

Nearly 2 million foreign nationals, including immigrant wives and workers from economically weak countries, live in Korea. Many of them suffer various hardships and discriminations due to their place of origin and skin color.

Worse, the massacre in Norway galvanized xenophobic groups’ campaigns against immigrants in Korea, sparking fears of possible assaults on migrant workers here.

“Any society which is faced with these issues should be willing to have an open debate on them,” he said. “Most importantly, we much continue to stand up against intolerance, both in the public and private spheres.”

He added all countries must strive to build bridges between peoples of different origins. And equally important, he said, “We must not let one deranged person’s actions influence how we shall manage our societies.”

Memory about Korea

Tonseth left for Norway over the weekend, completing his mission in Korea as a representative for his country, which began in November 2006.

“Nothing would rival the fascinating years which my wife and I have spent in Korea,” he said, referring to memorable experiences he has had in the country.

He selected his hiking tour to scenic Mt. Seorak; PyeongChang, a mountainous resort town which recently won the right to host the 2018 Winter Olympics; and Mt. Halla on Jeju Island, as some of the best experiences he had in Korea.

“The announcement of the winter Olympics in 2018 pleased me enormously,” he said.

To The Korea Times readers, Tonseth said he hopes Korea’s overall impressions of Norway will not be influenced by the recent tragic incident.