By Kim Heung-sook
Freelance Columnist
After nearly three and a half years into the initial printing of ``Random Walk,’’ The Korea Times and I have agreed to make it a biweekly column. It will now run Saturdays instead of Fridays. I hope the added frequency will contribute to increasing moments of amusement among KT readers.
As a great fan of Russia and its President Vladimir Putin, I’m happy to begin my weekend column by congratulating him and his people for winning the right to host the Winter Olympic Games in 2014.
In his speech to the International Olympic Committee in Guatemala City last week, Putin hailed Sochi as a unique place where one can enjoy fine spring weather on the seashore and a winter up in the mountains at the same time. I hope I’ll be able to go there before the ongoing global warming melts the snow.
The Russian leader also boasted that he saw ``the rock near Sochi to which as legend has it Prometheus was chained.’’ He then kindly explained that Prometheus had given people fire, ``fire which ultimately is the Olympic flame.’’
Some may say that I am unwise, if not foolish, to eulogize a leader of a country that robbed my own nation of a long-awaited opportunity, but I think my people know better. They would understand that sports are not simply sports nowadays. Some may find relief that the lost chance would mean less harm to their nation’s environment. Besides, Korea has a busy schedule ahead as the host of big international events _ IAAF World Championships in Athletics in Daegu in 2011, Expo in Yeosu in 2012 and the Asian Games in Incheon in 2014.
Once their initial disappointment subsides, they would also share my point that it’s a shame that Russia, despite its shiny record of winning the most medals in winter Olympics, has never hosted the games.
Western media, which had been rather critical of Putin, have given credit to him this time for using his charm and charisma in beating other contenders. The President delivered his speech to the IOC in English. It was the first time that he made a public speech in English. He reportedly spoke French in striking a conversation with a French IOC member.
However, the reason why I’ve become a Putin fan doesn’t have anything to do with his command of foreign languages. It’s more about his views and succinct style. At the annual Munich Conference on Security Policy last February, he blamed the United States for ``almost uncontained hyper use of force in international relations.’’ He said such U.S. attitude stimulated an arms race. In a January interview, he said his nation wanted to see the strengthening of the international law and a multi-polar world.
In June, he surprised U.S. President George W. Bush by opposing a U.S. missile shield in Eastern Europe, counter-proposing the use of the Soviet system. Just last week, after fishing and partying with Bush in the latter’s summer compound, Putin renewed his proposal to his host’s dismay.
The past 15 or so years since the Soviet break-up have seen the world tilt drastically towards ruthless market economy under the pretext of globalism and I hope Putin will practice the universal virtue of Prometheus fire in helping powerless nations shadowed by the current trend. As a highly skilled judo player, Putin must know balancing better than any other politician.
The Russian President was here in 2001, but I hope he will come one more time, console PyeongChang county people and enlighten Korean politicians in this year of the presidential election. Since he loves mixed martial arts, he could bring Pride World Heavyweight Champion Fedor Emelianenko with him. Fedor is quite popular here and he may share his Korean fans with his President.
``The Colbert Report’’ show host Stephen Colbert announced support for Putin in the U.S. presidential election in 2008. We Koreans go to polls in December and I will support Putin in our election, too. (kimsook@hotmail.com)
A journalist-turned writer, Kim Heung-sook has authored or translated a dozen books. She also runs a biweekly column in Korean on www.freecolumn.co.kr.