버클리대 교내 신문에 한국 학생이 기고한 글입니다

Democracy Sunk with South Korea’s Authoritarian President BY YAE CHAN LEE AND MILI YOONLAST UPDATED SEPTEMBER 18, 2014 On Sept. 22, President Park Geun-hye of South Korea will deliver her first speech to the United Nations General Assembly, most likely about peace — global security and the conflict between North and South Korea — and human rights. But her utter disregard for the Koreans’ safety and fundamental rights, as revealed through her words and conduct after the Sewol ferry tragedy, leads us to strongly oppose her further deceiving Koreans and the world — especially when addressing the United Nations, an organization committed to preserving peace and justice. More than five months have passed since the Sewol ferry tragedy, but Park still refuses to take full responsibility of the incident as the president. She also has been bluntly ignoring the families’ desperate pleas for a meeting with her, as if Sewol never sank. One of the victims’ father, Mr. Kim Young-oh — known as “Yoomin’s Dad” — went on a 46-day hunger strike, eventually stopping for his second daughter, to have a meeting with Park and to demand effective Special Sewol bill — which would initiate an independent investigation into the disaster with legal mandates to prosecute anyone found culpable — so he can learn the truth about why his daughter Yoomin and 303 other people drowned in the cold sea, crying for help. And yet, Park has never visited Kim or even mentioned anything about him. To this day, the police restrict the families from marching to the Blue House, although foreign tourists are warmly welcomed to visit the fortress. All we ask is that Park keep her promise she made with the families and to all of us Koreans. Did she forget that she comforted the families, telling them to come to her whenever they need her help? Does she know she promised them Special Sewol bill will be made? Did her tears mean anything? We, the Korean community at UC Berkeley, are passionate about this urgent international issue because Park is eroding the very essence of democracy in Korea. Power comes from the people, and she was elected as a president to dedicate her trusted authority in working for the people’s safety, happiness and better lives. But she is overwhelmingly abusing this power by neglecting what people need her to do and whimsically doing whatever she wants to do. Her recent warning during the cabinet meeting that the “offensive remarks regarding the president representing the people are going too far” further exposes her illusion of herself as a supreme ruler who reigns over the people and thus cannot tolerate those who criticize or oppose her. It is she who is “hurting the stature of South Korea” and globally embarrassing the Koreans, not the people who are demanding that she do what she was elected to do. Before speaking to the world leaders about peace and justice, Park needs to acknowledge that a nation has a fundamentally indisputable responsibility to ensure the safety of its people. Park failed to meet this most basic and cardinal duty as a president, and this must not be overlooked. Three hundred and four lives died at sea. It is not that “they could not be saved”— they were not saved. The parents, who desperately want to know why their sons and daughters never returned from the field trip, are still fasting and sleeping on the streets to request for a meeting with the president. Today, Park’s leadership is urgently needed more than ever. The National Assembly is in a frustrating deadlock because the current ruling party, Saenuri party, is recalcitrantly blocking the passage of the Special Sewol bill. Bringing the truth of Sewol to light is the peace and justice that Korea needs immediately, and Park must act boldly now as the president of Korea. Yae Chan Lee and Mili Yoon are fourth and second year students, respectively, at UC Berkeley. Contact the opinion desk at <a href="http://go.daum.net/bin/go.cgi?relative=1&url=/Mail-bin/login_f.cgi%3Ferror%3Dlogin%26lu%3D/Mail-bin/send_mail.form.cgi%3FTO%3Dopinion@dailycal.org">opinion@dailycal.org</a> or follow us on Twitter: @dailycalopinion. Please keep our community civil. Comments should remain on topic and be respectful. Read our full comment policy Kim Young-oh, President Park Geun-hye, Sewol ferry, special Sewol bill