By Park Yoon-bae
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This shameful battle appears to have slipped out of control since the governing Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) and three minor opposition parties voted to fast-track two reform bills last month.
The vote has created a political deadlock. The main opposition Liberty Korea Party (LKP) held a brief sit-in at the National Assembly to oppose the bills. In an opening salvo during a street protest, LKP Chairman Hwang Kyo-ahn denounced the Moon Jae-in government as a "leftist dictatorship."
Hwang's attack infuriated the ruling camp. It prompted DPK Chairman Lee Hae-chan to fire back by likening LKP members to "thieves." Lee said, "How can we entrust the National Assembly to thieves?"
The tit-for-tat has escalated. LKP floor leader Na Kyung-won called the President "Moonnos," a combination of Moon and Thanos, the supervillain from "Avengers: Endgame."
Rep. Na did not even hesitate to describe Moon's supporters, who call themselves the "Knights of the Moonlight," as the "Whores of the Moonlight," a highly derogative expression usually used by some right-wing bloggers.
Na apologized for what she said after it stirred a strong public backlash. She should have avoided such words which only provoked hate not only among Moon's followers but also the public.
Another LKP legislator Kim Hyun-ah compared President Moon to a patient with Hansen's disease, or leprosy. She argued that Moon does not feel the pain of those suffering from economic difficulties just as lepers do not feel any pain from their illness.
Lee Jeong-mi, chief of the progressive minor opposition Justice Party, joined the unwinnable battle of rough words. She derided LKP Chairman Hwang as a "psychopath" for his controversial bid to attend a commemoration of the May 18 Gwangju Democratization Movement.
Lee criticized Hwang and his party for not taking proper disciplinary action against three LKP lawmakers who denigrated the spirit of the May 18 uprising against the military junta by describing it as a "riot" and pro-democracy activists as "monsters." She tried to warn Hwang that if he wanted to attend the memorial, his party should first punish the legislators.
Whatever the reason, Lee should have refrained from using such an improper word. She made the mistake of juxtaposing herself up against the conservative lawmakers.
On Tuesday, LKP chief Hwang even accused President Moon of acting as a spokesman for North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un just as LKP floor leader Na did in March during her address to the Assembly. He cannot undo what he said although he denied it.
Now the problem is that lawmakers and politicians show no signs of ending their war of words. Their aim is to draw attention by inciting public rage, and then rally their supporters behind them and their parties, ahead of general elections scheduled for next April.
Yet, their use of vulgar and coarse language demonstrates the level of Korean politics which is getting more and more divisive and confrontational. It has much to do with the nation's political culture which lacks dialogue and compromise.
In a mature democracy, politicians are required to compete in a free and fair way. They need to present hope and vision for the future by working out their own ideas and policies designed to make the people better off.
But, Korean politicians are devoid of such ideas and policies. Thus, they are unable to engage in a policy competition to win over the minds of the people. Instead, they usually waste their political capital on waging a dog-eat-dog partisan strife.
In this context, legislators and politicians tend to choose the easiest and probably cheapest ways to garner support from voters. They are too engrossed in splitting the people along the ideological lines. They seem to believe inciting the public not with policy debates but with rough words and hate speech is effective in pitting conservatives against progressives.
Such divisive politics only foments conflicts between members of our society, hurting national unity and social cohesion. It also undermines political credibility, deepening people's apathy and aversion to politics.
Now, lawmakers and politicians should change themselves to turn the politics of division and conflicts into politics of hope and vision. They must usher in a new political culture to respect others and solve problems through dialogue and compromise.
The writer (byb@koreatimes.co.kr) is the chief editorial writer of The Korea Times.
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