[INTERVIEW] Activist calls for renewal of Seoul-Washington relationship

The Korea Times

The Korea Times

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INTERVIEWActivist calls for renewal of Seoul-Washington relationship

Posted : 2018-02-14 13:49

Updated : 2018-02-14 16:04

Kim Dong-suk, executive committee chair of Korean American Civic Empowerment, speaks at an interview with The Korea Times during his visit to Seoul, Feb 8. / Korea Times photo by Choi Ha-young

By Choi Ha-young

Kim Dong-suk, executive committee chair of Korean American Civic Empowerment, is a veteran civic activist in Washington, who is renowned for his efforts in getting House Resolution 121 passed in 2007 which urged Tokyo to apologize to the victims of its sexual slavery during World War II.

For decades, as an ethnic Korean with U.S. citizenship, he has made efforts to rally Koreans in the U.S. for their political engagement. His campaigns ― which are depicted in the movie "I Can Speak" ― to advocate for human rights and revisit historical truths have appealed to Koreans as well as to the international community.

During his visit as an honorary ambassador for the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, Kim said the Donald Trump administration's increasing trade pressure on Korea is "reasonable." He was one of a handful of observers who expected Trump's victory last year.

"The two countries should reset their relationship in terms of enhancing its quality," Kim told The Korea Times. "The Trump administration's stance, which is different from those of his predecessors', could bewilder longtime U.S. allies."

"However, the global dynamics are changing and China is trying to realign the international order. Meanwhile, many U.S. citizens in the lower income brackets are competing for survival. Under this circumstance, Trump's slogan of ‘America First' has successfully appealed to voters," he noted.

Liberal parties here blast the U.S. administration's bid to increase Seoul's burden in defense cost sharing for American forces here, as well as GM Korea's statement to close down its plant in Korea. The Moon Jae-in administration is struggling to nullify the Trump government's punitive tariffs on South Korean electric companies.

Kim expected that such conflicts will keep emerging steadily, as the national interests of Washington and Seoul are increasing in dissonance. "Therefore, Koreans should figure out smart ways of handling U.S. demands, breaking away from both the liberals' sentimental opposition against the U.S. as well as the conservatives' unconditional support for it," he said.

Still, the nation needs support from the U.S. in accomplishing its goals internationally, for example, the sexual slavery issue, Kim said.

"Unfortunately, in the international arena, how to handle atrocities are often decided by the victimized groups' international status. That's why Japan's claim on the issue is incomparably superior to that of Korea's," he said.

In tackling the sexual slavery issue, he has stuck to a strategy to highlight the "universal value" of human rights and stayed low-key, not to fall for Japan's trick to make it a "diplomatic conflict" between the two countries.

"Some Japanese groups always try to pick a fight with Koreans in the U.S. The comfort women issue is not a controversial issue. That's why the so-called comfort woman deal signed in December 2015 is wrong. Such crimes against humanity should be commemorated for good until the end of the earth, like the holocaust memorials built by the Jews."

As Koreans are a minority group in the U.S., the activist emphasized strategies so its voice can be heard effectively. Rather than street rallies with demonstrators holding pickets, reaching out to each politician is way more effective, he said. "As voters, Korean-Americans can exercise leverage to representatives."

hayoung.choi@ktimes.com