[Insight & Opinion] The Return of Cho Kuk's 'Pro-Japanese Traitor' Rhetoric in Politics

Concerns Over Extreme Dichotomy in Korea-Japan Relations
Criticism Is Necessary, But It Must Be Rational

At the Memorial Day ceremony held at the National Seoul National Cemetery, Cho Kuk, leader of the Cho Kuk Innovation Party, who was shaking hands with President Yoon Suk-yeol, reportedly made a sharp remark saying, "Please heed the will of the people." President Yoon was said to have been surprised without saying much. Although it is well known that Cho Kuk harbors resentment toward President Yoon, one wonders whether the leader of the third-largest party in the National Assembly really needed to do that. It feels like witnessing the start of the 22nd National Assembly filled with anger and hatred toward opponents.

While this may be a secondary issue, the message Cho Kuk delivered that day fundamentally highlights the bleakly dichotomous worldview still present in our politics. On Memorial Day, Cho stated, "We will ensure that scoundrels and traitors who go beyond pro-Japanese (親日) to subservient to Japan (從日), revere Japan (崇日), and attach themselves to Japan (附日) do not live in luxury or rise to high positions." Given that he made this statement along with remarks that "the president and the presidential office are protecting Japan, and while foreign powers are infringing on our interests, they instead defend them," it appears that Cho regards the current ruling forces as ‘pro-Japanese, subservient, revering, and collaborating scoundrels and traitors.’ He also argued, "Those who rely on foreign powers and are ready to sell out this country must not be allowed to gain a foothold."

It is perfectly reasonable to criticize the Yoon Suk-yeol administration’s diplomatic stance or policies toward Japan depending on one’s position. There is also a need to listen to criticisms that the government is conducting low-profile diplomacy focused solely on friendly cooperation with Japan. However, going beyond such criticism to label government officials as "those ready to sell out the country" is an unrealistically political stigma. When encountering expressions like subservient to Japan, revering Japan, attaching to Japan, scoundrels, and traitors, which Cho frequently uses, one questions whether these are factually accurate reflections of reality.

In 2019, when Korea-Japan relations were deteriorating, Cho Kuk, then Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs at the Blue House under the Moon Jae-in administration, advocated the ‘pro-Japanese faction’ theory. At that time, Cho said, "An ‘economic war’ has broken out," and added, "In this situation, what matters is not whether one is ‘progressive’ or ‘conservative,’ ‘left’ or ‘right,’ but whether one is ‘patriotic’ or ‘traitorous.’" Regarding the issue of Japan’s wartime reparations, he stated, "Denying, criticizing, distorting, and vilifying the consistent position of the Korean government since 1965 and the Supreme Court rulings of 2012 and 2018 is exactly the position of the Japanese government," and argued, "I believe Koreans who make such claims should rightly be called ‘pro-Japanese.’" The famous ‘Jukchangga’ (bamboo spear song) appeared on Cho’s Facebook around this time.

On May 13, Cho Kuk also visited Dokdo and claimed, "It feels like our country has become a Japanese colony again in just two years," calling the current administration "the worst pro-Japanese regime and traitorous government in history." He also urged, "Drive out the pro-Japanese traitors like the Eulsa Five from the presidential office and government." This was said in the wake of the Line Yahoo incident. However, it does not seem appropriate for the leader of the third-largest party in the National Assembly to repeatedly use inflammatory language like ‘pro-Japanese traitors’ without proposing alternative policies. As with most things in the world, dividing Korea-Japan relations into a dichotomy of pro-Japanese and anti-Japanese fails to properly reflect the complex reality. This is a critique regardless of one’s stance on the Yoon Suk-yeol government’s Japan policy. The ‘Jukchangga’ that Cho Kuk brought up five years ago split the people into two camps: pro-Japanese and anti-Japanese, patriots and traitors. It is regrettable to see the current spectacle of searching for ‘pro-Japanese traitors’ again, as if returning to that time. I want to see politics that criticize but do so rationally.

Yoo Chang-sun, Political Commentator

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