[Focus] Korea¡¯s Red Cross suffers internal strife

Korea National Red Cross (KNRC) President Chang Choong-Shik, still recovering from the uproar caused by his "abasement of the North" remark, is at the center of another controversy surrounding the resignation of the KNRC secretary-general.

The continued strife within the KNRC is seen by many as resulting not from its long-established fundamental duties and responsibilities, but from the recent flourish of inter-Korean projects.

Dialogues are more or less within the humanitarian bounds. The main areas of service by the KNRC are disaster relief, blood plasma collection, social welfare, and medical relief, which are all humanitarian volunteer services. However, as the government began to utilize the KNRC for various governmental overtures and projects, KNRC has become more involved in the inter-Korean issues and prone to conflicts.

Not only is it a miserable sight for the Chang, who is himself under pressure for his remarks to call for the resignation of the unwilling secretary-general, the internal strife is becoming a disgrace to the highly regarded name of the Red Cross.

Within the KNRC itself, dividing lines are being drawn at various association members. Within the KNRC Labor Association, the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) has rallied around the KNRC president, while the Federation of Korea Trade Unions (FKTU) have sided with KNRC Secretary-General Park Ki-Ryun, one of its own members appointed to the post, a rather extraordinary appointment.

Many within the organization cite as the reason the recommendation made by Park during the second reunion of separated families for Chang to fly to Japan. Upon their return, as the media outcry worsened, it has had direct influence in the rising animosity between the two officials.

Concerning the worsening situation, Chang played down the conflict.

"When I was appointed in August, the minister of health and welfare said, 'Appointment of a new KNRC president entails a replacement of the secretary-general,' and urged me to appoint a new secretary-general," Chang said. "I merely have postponed it until now. As Secretary-General Park is nearing retirement age, it might be advisable for him to resign on his own and open the post for a younger man."

An anonymous source at the KNRC said: "Although the air can be cleaned with the resignation by Secretary-General Park upon his return to his office Dec. 30, following his vacation, it is too bad that the good name of the Red Cross has been defamed, as the humanitarian service has been inter-mingled with inter-Korean projects. The greater blame and responsibility lies with the National Intelligence Service and the government for their inability to fine-tune the inter-Korean relations."

Kim Young-Sik spear@donga.com