S. Koreans condemn NK

A group of religious leaders hold a rally in front of the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Seoul Thursday condemning North Korea’s controversial rocket launch. / Yonhap

By Na Jeong-ju

South Koreans reacted calmly to North Korea’s rocket launch, Wednesday, regarding it as another provocative act to draw international attention.

Many showed surprise over the earlier-than-expected launch, which came only hours after media reports that the North might have removed the rocket from its launch pad due to technical problems.

Some criticized the government for its ineptness in information gathering.

“I don’t understand how our intelligence agency couldn’t predict the timing of the launch,” said Lee Tae-ho, an official from the Peoples’ Solidarity for Participatory Democracy, one of the largest civic groups here.

“It is regrettable that North Korea, with a record of two previous nuclear tests, has pushed ahead with the rocket launch that threatens the security of the Korean Peninsula and neighboring countries.”

Citizens showed dismay at the rocket technology gap between South and North Korea.

“The North successfully launched the rocket, while the South has not been successful in launching its first space rocket,” blogger Cho Hyun-woo wrote. “In terms of developing a rocket, Seoul is far behind Pyongyang. That’s the reality.”

The Korea Freedom Federation also denounced the North’s move, saying that it severely threatened the peace and security of the international community.

“North Korea launched what it called a rocket carrying a working satellite,” the Seoul-based conservative group said. “The launch, however, is just a trick to develop long-range intercontinental ballistic missiles.”

Kim Sam-soo, an official at the Citizens’ Coalition for Economic Justice, said, “The current administration has been constantly blamed for the absence of information gathering whenever there have been significant movements in the North, such as the rocket launch.”

Kim also hoped that Pyongyang will not carry out another nuclear test, as the launch threatened peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula.

Many Internet users also voiced concerns over the negative impact the rocket launch will have on inter-Korean relations. They demanded the government step up security measures.

A Seoul citizen tweeted, “Did the North repair the rocket in just one day? I read newspaper articles that the launch had been delayed, but they were wrong.”

“The government apparently has not monitored the situation properly,” the citizen said.

A 30-year-old Seoul market watcher said one of the biggest variables affecting the local stock market is related to the security of the Korean Peninsula.

“The government should not make another mistake like this one in the future,” he said.