The Clash During Univerisade Escalates Conflicts Among South Koreans

The Clash During Univerisade Escalates Conflicts Among South Koreans. August. 29, 2003 13:17. by Yeon-Wook Jung Wan-Bae Lee jyw11@donga.com roryrery@donga.com.

The organizing committee of the Daegu Summer Universiade offered an apology for and expressed regret over the incident where a group of South Korean conservative protestors and North Korean reporters clashed on August 24 at the request of the North Korean delegation. However, the move is drawing a strong backlash from conservative groups and opposition parties in South Korea, showing a sign that conflicts among South Koreans will continue to escalate.

Chairman of the organizing committee Cho Hae-nyung said, “It is regrettable that such an unexpected and unfortunate incident took place during the games. We will make sincere efforts to further enhance safety of North Korean athletes, reporters, and cheer squad to prevent similar incidents from recurring.” He also urged Koreans not to take irresponsible actions including violent rallies, which will undermine the spirit of amateur athletic competition.

Cho Jung-guen, an official at a Korean civic group, Citizens United for Better Society, criticized for the committee`s low profile attitude of dealing with North Korean`s excessive demands, adding fuel to conflicts among South Koreans.

Park Jin, spokesman of the opposition Grand National Party took a negative view on the incident in a statement saying, “It is unacceptable for North Korean reporters to have used violence against a group of right-wing demonstrators who have the right to express their opinions freely. At the same time, North Koreans need to understand democracy better.”

In the meantime, some lawmakers of the ruling Millennium Democratic Party including Chung Dong-young, Song Young-gil, and Lee Jong-seok who participated in a forum organized by a civic group issued a statement expressing regret over some conservatives` reckless behavior. In addition, those lawmakers urged the North Korean delegation not to disappoint residents in Daegu who wish a success of the sporting event.

Meanwhile, a Korean civic group composed of 30 civic and social groups opposing North Korea`s nuclear weapons program held a press conference at the Korea Press Center Monday afternoon, demanding an apology for the incident from the North and proper punishment against North Korean officials responsible for the incident.

In addition, the civic group pointed out that the organizers should take care of all participants from 170 countries around the globe equally not to make them feel a sense of alienation.