Ha Tae-kyung: "'March for the Beloved' is a Kim Il-sung Praise Song? No Evidence"

Ha Tae-kyung, Member of the Future United Party [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] On the 40th anniversary of the May 18 Democratic Uprising, Ha Tae-kyung, a member of the Future United Party, said on the 18th, "'March for the Beloved' is a proud democracy 'Hallyu.' It is a song that conservatives should take the lead in exporting to North Korea."

On the same day, Ha posted on his Facebook, "It was very well done that our party leadership apologized for some party members' disparagement of May 18 and visited Gwangju. Denying the May 18 Democratic Uprising is denying the history of the Republic of Korea," he said.

He argued, "The conservative camp should actively embrace the spirit of May 18 and furthermore accept the 'March for the Beloved,'" emphasizing, "Some say 'March for the Beloved' is a song praising Kim Il-sung, but there is no evidence at all."

Ha explained, "In North Korea, the 'March for the Beloved' itself is a banned song," adding, "'March for the Beloved' is banned in North Korea because it is a song of democracy."

He continued, "The controversy over whether to sing this song under conservative governments stemmed from conservatives' ignorance about North Korea," pointing out, "It was an embarrassing controversy."

He also emphasized, "'March for the Beloved' has already become a symbolic song of democracy worldwide," and "It is sparking a democracy Hallyu around the world, including the Hong Kong protests."

Finally, he concluded, "Let's sing louder until 'March for the Beloved,' which echoed in Hong Kong, resounds in Pyongyang. Conservatives should take the lead in exporting this song to North Korea," adding, "When 'March for the Beloved' for North Korean democratization echoes in Pyongyang, that will be the time when unification led by the Republic of Korea is achieved."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.