Chung has competition

Well, as you have probably noticed, I am not a fan of Chung Dong Young (because of his pure bravado in ignoring the plight of those in the North). I am also not a fan of Ahn Sang-soo (the Mayor in Incheon who recently promised $2 billion to the North to fix up their ugly ass hotel).

Now it seems I have a new hate-on for someone almost as dumb.


Professor Kang Makes Another Pro-North Korean Remark

A professor who was indicted for pro-North Korean comments during a
visit to Pyongyang in 2001 made a statement justifying the North-led Korean War,
saying the conflict aimed to unify the peninsula.
Kang Jeong-koo, sociology professor at Dongguk University, said in a column posted yesterday on an Internet news site that the 1950-1953 Korean War should be
regarded not as a ``war for sovereignty usurpationÂ’Â’ but as a ``war for
the great cause of unification,Â’Â’ a statement similar to North Korean
propaganda.

``No South Korean history textbook depicts Wang Kun and Kyon
Hwon as invaders. Wang is revered as a great king who worked for unification,Â’Â’
Kang said, advocating the communist countryÂ’s reasoning behind the war.

Wang (A.D. 877-943) was the founder of the Koryo Dynasty (A.D. 918-1392), unifying the three kingdoms split from the Silla Kingdom after defeating Kyon Kwon of Hu-Paekche.

In the column entitled ``True
Knowledge About MacArthur,Â’Â’ Kang claimed the three-year war could have ended in
a month without the intervention of the United States.

``Without
U.S. intervention, Korea would not have suffered such bloodshed and destruction.
To 4 million Koreans killed during the war, the U.S. is not a lifesaver or
friend but an enemy,Â’Â’ Kang said.

Kang was indicted for making pro-North Korean
remarks in August 2001 when he visited Mangyongdae, the birthplace of late North
Korean leader Kim Il-sung.

He wrote in the guest book, ``Let's accomplish the great task of national unification by cherishing the spirit of Mangyongdae.Â’Â’

In the column, the professor also made a cynical assessment of Gen. Douglas MacArthur, who has been regarded here as a hero for leading the U.N. forces on the peninsula and turning the tide of the war through the historic Inchon landing.

``MacArthur was just a war fanatic. The Korean War was a civil war for unification. But just three days after the war broke out in June 25, 1950, the general called on the U.S.
government to intervene,Â’Â’ he said.

``The favorable perception of the war maniac who caused the great tragedy to the Korean people should be scrapped. His statue should also be destroyed,Â’Â’ he added.

A statue of MacArthur in Inchon, erected in 1957 in memory of the five-star
general, has been at the center of public attention recently as some progressive
and anti-U.S. military groups rallied at the site, calling for the statueÂ’s
removal.

everyonem glad not everone is jumping of that bandwagon Apparently South Korea's Minister for National Defense, Yoon Kwang-ung still has some integrity.

Such demands from progressive civic activists "are nonsensical, indiscreet acts
over which I must express my deep concern..."

Kang is trying to put forth the argument that if the Korean war didn't happen, all would have been well. Basically he goes with the logic that if a nation is left to its own devices, it will naturally develop for the better.

The problem in that though is that the peninsula has not been "left alone" for quite some time. If the US (and that bugger MacArthur) had let the North walk its way through the south, would that have been "natural"?

The truth is that the North was all too beholden to its big Soviet brother and rarely acted on its own (at least in the early days). Dr Lankov wrote on the Marmots :

But there is another dimension. The actual Soviet control over
the emerging NK regime was very minute and very restrictive. Until 1948 at
least, even speeches to be delivered at important meetings by the NK officials
had to be edited/approved by the Soviet political officers (can you imagine
Syngman Rhee looking for Gen. Hodge to edit his speech?).

Doesn't sound like a "war waged BY KOREANS FOR KOREANS!"

Anyways, I just have one question; how the heck can I get Dr Lankov to visit my site!?!?