Mindan: ‘Rep. Yoon’s attendance at Chochongryon event is betrayal of the people’

"Isn't it a betrayal of the people for a representative of the Republic of Korea elected by the Korean people to attend an event hosted by the Japanese branch of the North Korean Workers' Party?"

Lee Soo-won (76), head of the Tokyo headquarters of the Korean Residents Union in Japan (Mindan), criticized Rep. Yoon Mi-hyang, an independent and former member of the Democratic Party, for attending an event organized by the pro-North General Association of North Korean Residents (Chogchongryon) instead of Mindan’s memorial service on Friday, saying. Lee made the remarks in an interview with The Dong-A Ilbo on Sunday as Mindan also had held a memorial service supported by the South Korean government for Korean victims on the 100th anniversary of the Great Kanto Earthquake in Japan. "I want to ask her (Rep. Yoon) where she currently stands," Lee said. "Chochongryon cadres are North Korean-educated criminals of ideological conviction and fighters for Kim Jong Un's revolution. It is impossible to understand how she would go to an event organized by such people."

Rep. Yoon attempted to defend her action on her Facebook post Saturday, saying, "I heard about the event hosted by Mindan, but I was not invited,” but critics say this argument is hardly unconvincing. "Mindan does not invite individual lawmakers because we could be criticized for inviting some and uninviting others. If anyone wants to come, she or he can come. Instead, she is just making sophisticated excuses. Rep. Yoon voluntarily attended the March 1 commemoration ceremony organized by Mindan in Tokyo.


sanghun@donga.com