[Opinion] Online Witch Hunt

American philosopher John Rawls said reasonable disagreement is a feature defining a free democracy. In other words, it is natural in a democratic society where a variety of ideas and beliefs co-exist that a reasonable opinion inevitably conflicts with other reasonable opinions. Once a party starts showing hostility toward another, all of society turns into a constant and hostile battleground. Anti-U.S. beef candlelight vigil protesters are beginning to show hostility against those who oppose their cause.

College student Lee Se-jin sheds light on the contradiction. Lee has been protesting against the candlelight vigils. Among waves of “hostile” protesters, Lee is putting up a lonely fight with picket signs saying “I’m Standing Here for the Future of Korea and Trade” and “We Citizens Should Put Out the Candles We Have Lit.” Some anti-U.S. beef protesters have threatened and called him derogatory names.

Talk show hostess Jeong Seon-hee has also provoked the mobs’ anger with her comments on the protests. The protesters have attacked her online and virtually forced her to cancel three TV and radio shows. Telling the story of a listener whose bicycle was stolen, Jeong said, “People chant patriotism to justify their protests against American beef. Some might brush off today’s story as trivial. But such a little violation is a crime we should all feel guilty over. Who can sure that this kind of accident won’t happen under unstable circumstances like these?” She later shed tears and apologized. In the end, she put her career on hold, leaving an apology on her personal homepage.

Only a handful of citizens have defended Lee and Jeong on the Internet. But they have had to write a long prologue to their defense, stressing their neutrality. The protesters who have taken to the streets have smothered opposing voices. Rawls’ solution to reasonable disagreement, which constitutes both the strong and weak points of a democratic society, is to secure democracy by procedures; namely, Rawls said all interested parties should abide by agreed-on procedures to allow all parties better results over the long run. The protesters have given up on procedural legitimacy and rationality. They have occupied the streets day after day. Korea’s political system allows diverse voices to be heard, but in this democratically rich society, democracy itself is being threatened.

Editorial Writer Hong Chan-sik (chansik@donga.com)