“文의 연설은 평양에 대한 복종메시지나 마찬가지" WSJ 칼럼 눈길

최근 미국 월스트리트저널<WSJ>에 "문재인정부는 어떻게 북한정권의 만행을 암묵적으로 지지하나"라는 제목의 칼럼이 실렸다. 부제목은 “문재인의 (세계를 향한) 영어 성명은 듣기 좋지만, 그의 한국어 연설은 (북한정권에 대한) 복종메시지나 마찬가지다”이다. (Moon Jae-in’s English statements sound nice, but his Korean speeches are akin to surrender.)

그렉 스칼라튜(Greg Scarlatoiu) 미국 북한인권위원회 (HRNK) 소장은 1일(현지시간) WSJ 칼럼을 통해 "문재인 대통령이 영어로된 성명에서는 모호한 표현들로 비핵화에 대한 희망과 북한 주민들의 삶의 개선에 대해 말했다"며 "하지만 그는 한국어로는 다른 얘기를 한다"고 지적했다. (Since President Trump and Kim Jong Un’s summit in June, the two leaders have issued a series of statements in English. South Korean President Moon Jae-in has weighed in too, with vague words promoting hope for denuclearization and a better life for the North Korean people. Yet Mr. Moon tells a different story in Korean.)

스칼라튜 소장은 문재인 대통령이 지난 달 평양 5.1 경기장에서 집단체조를 관람한 후 북한 핵심층인 관객들 앞에서 “자주원칙”을 강조했던 것을 거론했다.

스칼라튜 소장은 “주체사상을 암묵적으로 지지하는 문재인의 발언은 ‘김정은 전체주의’에 정당성을 부여하고 있다”고 비판했다. (Mr. Moon’s speeches may read like peace-building. But to those familiar with North Korean ideology, a speech tacitly endorsing juche only validates Mr. Kim’s brand of totalitarianism.)

그는 “’자주원칙’이란 북한의 주체사상에서 파생한 개념”이라고 꼬집었다. (This principle is derived from North Korea’s juche ideology of self-reliance.)

그러면서 “한글로 ‘자주 원칙’을 검색하면, 쉽게 북한의 선동 웹사이트인 우리민족끼리나 북한중앙방송 사이트를 찾을 수 있다”고 밝혔다. (A quick Korean-language internet search of the term will bring up North Korean propaganda websites such as Uriminzokkiri and the Korean Central News Agency.)

스칼라튜 소장은 한미동맹 분열에 대한 우려도 밝혔다.

문 대통령은 5.1 경기장에서의 연설에서 ‘핵위협이 없는 한반도를 만들기 위한 남북 공동의 노력’을 언급했다.

스칼라튜 소장은 이와 관련 "김정은이 자주 사용하는 말을 그대로 인용한 것"이라며 “실상은, 남한은 1991년부터 계속 비핵화 상태였다"고 말했다.

그는 "무기를 버려야 하는건 북한 쪽"이라며 "김정은 위원장이 의미하는 ‘한반도의 완전한 비핵화’는 남한을 보호하는 미국의 핵우산을 제거하는 걸 의미한다”고 꼬집었다. (The truth is that the South has been nuclear-free since 1991. It’s the North that needs to give up its weapons. To Mr. Kim, denuclearization of the “entire Korean Peninsula” means removing South Korea from the safety of the U.S. nuclear umbrella.)

그러면서 “문 대통령이 이 연설을 통해 사실상 김정은 위원장의 한미동맹 분열이라는 목표를 지지한 것”이라고 밝혔다. (Mr. Moon effectively announced support for Mr. Kim’s goal of ending the U.S.-South Korea alliance.)

그는 끝으로 “문재인 대통령의 취임 이후 북한정권의 남한에 대한 위협이나, 북주민들에대한 탄압에 대항하기 어려워졌다”고 진단했다. (Opposing the Pyongyang regime’s repression of the North Korean people and its threats to the South has become increasingly difficult with Mr. Moon in office.)

김민찬 기자 mkim@pennmike.com

다음은 WSJ 칼럼 전문

"How Seoul Tacitly Endorses Pyongyang’s Brutality"

Moon Jae-in’s English statements sound nice, but his Korean speeches are akin to surrender.

Since President Trump and Kim Jong Un’s summit in June, the two leaders have issued a series of statements in English. South Korean President Moon Jae-in has weighed in too, with vague words promoting hope for denuclearization and a better life for the North Korean people. Yet Mr. Moon tells a different story in Korean.

Consider the speeches the South Korean president delivered in North Korea last month. At a dinner on Sept. 18, he declared he was “truly astonished by Pyongyang’s development.” He didn’t say how this “development” has had any positive effect on the North Korean people. Outside Pyongyang, North Koreans suffer. One third of North Korea’s children are malnourished while the regime focuses resources on nuclear warheads, missiles and luxuries to keep the elites content.

In his speech, Mr. Moon expressed hope that inter-Korean collaboration could “span across the continent to reach Russia and Europe, and across the sea to reach Asean and India.” He made no mention of the U.S. He also told Mr. Kim that if they “put their heads and hearts together,” they will find ways to develop the “military, economy, society and culture of South and North Korea.” Yet some 80% of North Korea’s military, 1.2 million strong, remains forward-deployed, poised to attack. North Korea’s long-range artillery stands ready to strike from the Kaesong Heights.

Mr. Moon also recalled that during his first in-person meeting with Mr. Kim, the two crossed the military demarcation line “hand in hand, like two affectionate lovers.” That’s nice, but since then Mr. Kim has done nothing to reduce the threat his country poses to its neighbor. And he continues to abuse more than 100,000 men, women and children in his notorious political prison camps.

The day after the dinner, Mr. Moon spoke before thousands of North Korea’s “core class,” gathered for a gymnastic and artistic festival. He used Mr. Kim’s exact locution in averring a joint commitment to a Korean Peninsula “without nuclear weapons and nuclear threats.” The truth is that the South has been nuclear-free since 1991. It’s the North that needs to give up its weapons. To Mr. Kim, denuclearization of the “entire Korean Peninsula” means removing South Korea from the safety of the U.S. nuclear umbrella. Mr. Moon effectively announced support for Mr. Kim’s goal of ending the U.S.-South Korea alliance.

Mr. Moon also said his heart was “warmed and throbbing” at the sight of the country his North Korean brethren were building. He expressed admiration for North Koreans who maintained “the nation’s pride” even in tough times, possibly a reference to the famine of the 1990s. The truth is that when life-supporting aid to North Korea from allied communist countries stopped flowing in the ’90s, the regime failed to reform. Whatever precious resources it could obtain were given only to military and political elites. Those ranking lower in North Korea’s songbun system of social classification were condemned to starvation, their access to food, medicine and other aid severed. The regime blamed the U.S. and told its subjects that, despite the suffering, they maintained the nation’s pride throughout that “arduous march.” Mr. Moon’s words lent support to this fallacious tale.

The South Korean president stated that the two leaders had agreed to the principle of jaju-wonchik, or unification through self-determination. This principle is derived from North Korea’s juche ideology of self-reliance. A quick Korean-language internet search of the term will bring up North Korean propaganda websites such as Uriminzokkiri and the Korean Central News Agency. “Unification through self-determination” also excludes outsiders, especially the U.S.

Mr. Moon’s speeches may read like peace-building. But to those familiar with North Korean ideology, a speech tacitly endorsing juche only validates Mr. Kim’s brand of totalitarianism. It’s a statement of support for North Korean ideology and all that goes along with it, including nuclear weapons. Mr. Moon’s speech gave legitimacy to Mr. Kim’s corrupt and horrific rule.

Opposing the Pyongyang regime’s repression of the North Korean people and its threats to the South has become increasingly difficult with Mr. Moon in office. His government has reduced funding for organizations that promote human rights in the North by more than 90%, stopped balloon launches and loudspeaker broadcasting across the Demilitarized Zone and has been censoring the content of USB thumb drives smuggled by activists into North Korea. It is hard to imagine how Mr. Moon will ever move from warm praise of Mr. Kim to addressing the dire human-rights situation of North Koreans.