[Human Rights in North Korea, Beyond the Progressive vs. the Conservative] Human Rights is Not a Political Tool

Human rights in North Korea have become everyone's favorite punching bag. Yet although everyone joins in on the argument, no one seems to be able to present a concrete solution. People approach this problem as an ideological or political issue, rather than see it as a pure human rights issue.

Saenuri Party's Park Geun-hye, Democratic United Party's Moon Jae-in, and the independent Ahn Cheol-soo: whoever becomes the next president, that person will have to improve inter-Korean relations, which have fallen apart under the Lee Myung-bak government.

But the conflicts in South Korea surrounding North Korea's human rights issue show no sign of resolution.

On October 22, the police block vehicles with propaganda leaflets against North Korea near Dangdong interchange on Freedom Avenue, when members of Fighters for Free North Korea tried to scatter the leaflets at Imjingak, Paju in Gyeonggi Province. Members of Solidarity for Peace and Reunification of Korea, who were heading for Imjingak to denounce the release of propaganda leaflets against North Korea, hold a press conference on Freedom Avenue. Kim Chang-gil

The blame is not solely on the Lee Myung-bak government's decision to emphasize North Korean human rights instead of inter-Korean dialogue, eventually acting as an outlet for the conflicts within the South.

After all, the current situation is just an outcome of the long-standing confrontation between the progressive and the conservative. Then is a conflict among South Koreans inevitable no matter who takes office?

Fortunately, some in the progressive and conservative circles have started to reflect on their past ways. The conservatives are aware that it is unrealistic to expect the collapse of the North Korean regime to solve everything.

North Korea, which sees the conservatives' expectation as an attempt to take down their regime, will only tighten their grip leaving their people under worse circumstances.

The progressives, who have been at the forefront of improving human rights in South Korea, have faced criticism that they should advocate North Korea's human rights under the universal principles of mankind including the right to political freedom.

On October 22, a North Korean defector is throwing leaflets in protest to police action, when the police blocked the vehicle of a North Korean defectors group near Dangdong intersection on Freedom Avenue. The group attempted to scatter propaganda leaflets against North Korea from Imjingak. Kim Chang-gil

They can't convince the people with their current attitude: they insist on sticking to humanitarian aid only until important issues are resolved, such as establishing peace on the Korean peninsula. Of course, in reality, any effort will be limited without North Korea's willing participation.

The progressives and conservatives should view North Korea's human rights issue as a human rights issue, and vow not to use it as a political tool. Only when they observe North Korea's human rights issue through a lens faithful to the universal principle on human rights, will the progressive and the conservative be able to come together and use it as a key to unlocking inter-Korea relations.

As highlighted at the 1993 World Conference on Human Rights in Vienna, the right to life and the right to political freedom are values that should be pursued together. Yet the progressive and the conservative have been wrestling each other for the past ten years, putting their pride first.

Whoever takes office, they cannot treat North Korea's human rights movement as the South's political problem. In particular, the progressives have to take part in order to convince North Korea that improving human rights works to their benefit, smoothing the path out for North Korea to join the international society.

The Kyunghyang Shinmun does not see the current arguments in South Korea as our inevitable fate, but rather a challenge we can overcome when the citizens reach an agreement. The presidential election, in particular, will provide a good forum for the progressive and the conservative to discuss and build the foundation for agreement.

Even if we can't reach an agreement, if we can at least find some sort of common understanding on conflicting elements such as North Korea's human rights issue, it can be proof that we can resolve a significant portion of our social conflicts through dialogue. This is why we need to further discuss North Korea's human rights now.