[New Release] Political Commentator Yu Chang-sun Publishes 'Killing Kim Geon-hee'

Published 18 Jul.2023 10:24(KST)

"Inciting Politics Mocking Truth Threatens Democracy"
Sharp Criticism of Deceptive Politics Ridiculing Reason

Dr. Yu Chang-seon, a first-generation political commentator with over 30 years of experience, has published a book titled “How Agitation Destroys Reason” under the symbolic title “KIM Geon-hee Killing”.

The book examines the false agitations that have occurred from the 20th presidential election period up to the present. It also includes the author’s thoughts on how to overcome the politics of agitation that paralyzes our reason.

Source: Provided by Saebit Publishing House

The author points out that from the last presidential election to the present, the name “KIM Geon-hee” has become a concentrated target of mudslinging and agitational politics. He believes that targeting the spouse of a competing politician rather than the politician themselves was unprecedented in Korean political history.

Parts 1 through 3 of the book analyze the agitational politics that have shaken Korean politics. It carefully reviews the false agitations from the 20th presidential election period to the present. Alongside this, Dr. Yu’s thoughts on how to overcome agitational politics that paralyze reason are also included.

Part 4 contains criticism and concerns about the excessive rightward shift of conservative political forces, which traps them again within the confines of factional politics. Part 5 diagnoses various irrational situations in our society and offers suggestions toward future politics led by rationality and logical thinking.

Dr. Yu explains that the reason for titling this book about the problem of agitational politics as “KIM Geon-hee Killing” was because of its symbolic significance.

Dr. Yu said, “Our politics continues unchanged with hatred and curses. Politics has become a battlefield of life and death, and politics, whose essence is compromise and adjustment, has completely disappeared. Having observed Korean politics for decades as a political commentator, I have never seen politics like this before,” he lamented.

Furthermore, Dr. Yu believes that from the last presidential election to the present, fake news created for political purposes was massively spread through political networks, and acts resembling manipulations to control public opinion have continued. He states, “Our society believed democracy had somewhat settled, but agitational politics, where lies mock the truth, threatened democracy in this way.”

■ Who is political commentator Yu Chang-seon?

He graduated from Yonsei University with a degree in Sociology. He earned his Ph.D. in Political Sociology from the same graduate school. Since the 1990s, he has been an active first-generation political commentator through broadcasting, newspapers, magazines, and the internet. He has expanded his writing from politics and humanities to culture and arts. His works include political commentary collections such as I Am Right and You Are Wrong and Rediscovery of Politics, as well as humanities essays like Time to Find Myself, I Decided to Live for Myself, Life Is Love and Struggle, and Is It Okay to Live Like This?.