Moon appointed Hong Hyun-ik, the head of security and strategy studies at the Sejong Institute, as chancellor of the Korea National Diplomatic Academy, which trains diplomats and other public servants on international affairs.
Hong’s latest comments are causing serious public dissatisfaction. He said last week that the South Korean economy is 53 times bigger than that of North Korea and “we do not have to do the joint military exercises with the United States.” He also argued that the South Korean government should inform North Korea about the details of the joint military exercises, which are a state secret of the second-highest degree. “There is a part where we would take a preemptive attack against North Korea when a North Korean nuclear attack is thought to be imminent,” he said. “We would attack hundreds of places, and in North Korea’s perspective, they will think that they are being attacked. There are cases where they would do decapitation exercises, which North Korea hates the most. Even if we conduct joint military exercises this time, we should indirectly tell them that we are not doing such exercises.”
He also argued that the South Korean government should have told the United States that “we are sorry, but let’s postpone it this time, since peace on the Korean peninsula is more important.”
Choe Jae-hyeong, former head of the South Korean Board of Audit and Inspection under the Moon administration and a presidential candidate from the conservative camp, criticized the administration for appointing Hong as the head of the Korea National Diplomatic Academy. Choe said that he was “concerned about where this country is heading to, and I will try to resolve the people’s concerns by replacing the administration.”
Won Hee-ryong, former Governor of Jeju who recently resigned to run in the presidential primary for the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), also criticized Hong for his views. “Hong’s views on the joint military exercise are not only illogical but also anti-national,” he said. “Is the Moon administration trying to appoint a head of the national academy, that trains diplomats, with someone trying to get North Korea’s approval before conducting joint military exercises?” he asked. “Is the government trying to beg for another summit with the Kim Jong-un siblings?”
Yoon Seok-youl, who is now the key presidential candidate from the PPP and former Prosecutor General under the Moon administration, issued a statement calling for the military exercises to go ahead. “The joint military exercises with the United States should continue until the denuclearization of North Korea, since it is key to our defense capability,” the statement said. “It cannot be a bargaining piece for improving inter-Korean relations.”
This is not the first time that Hong showed views that are pro-North Korea and anti-American. In March 2015, pro-Pyongyang activist Kim Ki-jong attacked Mark Lippert, then-U.S. ambassador to Seoul, with a knife, slashing his face and arms. At that time, police said Kim wanted to highlight his opposition to the joint military drills with the United States.
After the incident, Hong argued that “it is true that the United States’ policies are more leaning toward Japan, which caused a problem in which anti-Japan activists like Kim Ki-jong are becoming anti-American activists.” He blamed the close relationship between the United States and Japan as the cause of the attack. “Kim had nationalistic views at first, but as it appears that the United States is taking Japan’s side, he committed an act of terror against the U.S. ambassador,” Hong said.
Hong also tried to argue that Kim should not be considered a leftist activist, as he was just someone with mental health issues. At that time, police found out that Kim visited North Korea seven times and had in his possession many books praising Kim Il-sung. The court sentenced Kim to 12 years in prison on an attempted murder charge but did not apply charges that Kim contravened the National Security Law.
Hong has called for tough sentencing for defectors and activists who send leaflets into North Korea. In 2014, he argued that “North Korea is suspicious of whether South Korea and the United States want to peacefully coexist with them, and we should take a careful approach on the leaflet issue that basically calls for the end of the North Korean regime.” He added that “military conflicts have occurred due to the leaflets, so we need to find ways to punish them in order to protect the safety of people residing near the border.”
Meanwhile, Retired Major General Shin Won-sik, a lawmaker from the PPP, said on Monday that the South Korean government will conduct joint military exercises as scheduled but that the scale would be reduced by one twelfth. He said he acquired such information from the Ministry of Defense. He argued that “the scale shows that the exercises are not to prepare for war, but that they will do everyday activities and call it exercises.”
Hong changed his stance slightly on August 9, saying that “it is already too late to postpone the exercises.” He said that the North Korean dictator’s sister Kim Yo-jong already knows that it is already too late to postpone the drill, as the two countries already finished the preparation for it. “I think she asked for the postponement even though she knew South Korea would be troubled, and I think she did not actually expect it to be postponed but reaffirmed North Korea’s stance.”
Despite the controversy over his remarks, Hong will officially begin his term on August 12.
