A senior South Korean official, in unprecedently vitriolic remarks toward the country's left-leaning youths, told them to "go live in North Korea" if they are critical of Seoul's hard-line policy against its communist neighbor.
“Why do these progressive young people extol the virtues of fighting against military dictatorship but not say a word about the North Korean dictatorship?” Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan told reporters Saturday during a background session in Hanoi. In such sessions, the speaker's identity is withheld by practice.
He and other South Korean officials were attending the ASEAN regional forum.
In a country where the war against communism has yet to end, how one views North Korea is a key measuring stick dividing South Koreans ideologically between right and left. Election results have often been swayed by the North Korean factor, with conservatives siding mostly with the ruling bloc while the more liberal voters tend to favor the opposition parties.
In the June 2 local elections, a strong turnout by youths is cited as one of the reasons for the opposition's victories despite heightened tensions with the North after the deadly sinking of a South Korean warship blamed on Pyongyang.
“Should we kneel down and beg for mercy, even after getting constantly attacked by North Korea? If they like (North Korea) so much, they should just go live under Kim Jong-il in reverence of the 'Great Leader,'" the official said.
The remarks were made when the official was answering a question on whether Seoul was concerned that efforts to impose sanctions on Pyongyang after the sinking would only lead to further provocations by North Korea.