What Happened to Norbert in Pusan?

I will print the nearly unedited correspondence between Rev. Douglas Shin and Dr. Vollertsen for you to add to your own mix of information. Clearly, however, the South Korean government is desperately worried that the nascent North Korean human rights movement has cost South Korea needed international support for its appeasement policy. It looks like that desperation has led them to the verge of what is either a colossal blunder or an ill-conceived bluff–banning Norbert Vollertsen from Korea. Here’s the correspondence:

Norbert, Good to hear that you’re back in. Even better to know that the Seoul gov’t again lacked the guts to block your re-entry. So shall we play a relatively harmless tourist/filmmaker for the next few months? I’m sure you’ve read about my press conference in LA on your upcoming film–“the Last Days of Kim Jong Il (by Norbert Vollertsen)” or something like that. It’s on Yonhap News (English) too. The temporary date forHollywood press conference/presale with 3-5 minutes trailer is mid-January. [ ] BTW they gave me visa at the SK Consulate here in LA even though I wrote in my visa application “NK human rights and democratization activities” as my purpose of entry. See you soon. [ ]

Blessings, Doug

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Hi Doug, I was detained in Pusan for 10 hours. Thanks to Donalds activities and Chosun Ilbo now on the way to Seoul…. Got a “Notice” that I shall stay away from any political activities etc. only act as a tourist – so at the next press conference will act as a “tourist”. Please infrom the journalists. Best regards, Norbert

Clearly, these guys have no respect for censorship.

Let me be perfectly honest about my regard for Roh Moo Hyun. I wish him nothing but ill, at least politically speaking. Not only would I like to see him hang himself, politically speaking, I’d be willing to braid, knot, coil, and hand-deliver the rope if I could. So, Roh, please, please ban Norbert Vollertsen. Not only would that scissor off diplomatic relations with the U.S. Congress, but it might even cause more human rights friction with squishy Old Europe (“friction” and “squishy”: I promise never to put those two words in the same sentence again, k?). I think the immediate setbacks for Dr. Vollertsen’s cause would be greatly outweighed by the long-term benefits, which are:

First, it would disabuse more Americans of their lingering Cold War misconceptions–prolonged by the facade of Korean troops hiding behind the protection of Kurdish irregulars in the safest part of Iraq–that South Korea remains an ally and moral kindred spirit.

Second, it would preempt the State Department’s ability to obstruct a tougher line on North Korea in the name of our “alliance” with South Korea.

Third, it would weaken calls for more delays in U.S. troop withdrawals, which means fewer targets for North Korean artillery and more strategic flexibility for the U.S. to pursue its own interests.

Fourth, it might alarm another sizeable bloc of Korean voters into breaking with the Uri Party and handing them another beating in the next parliamentary elections.

Finally, I suspect that Norbert’s physical presence in Korea is unnecessary to his effectivness as a gadfly and general media magnet. I suspect he’d attract just as much press in Japan, perhaps more. I also suspect that his following in Korea has a fairly low ceiling, given Korea’s inherent nationalist affinity for the North and the state-sanctioned softening of North Korea’s image. Dr. Vollertsen’s expulsion would roil up a wave of bad P.R. for both Seoul and Pyongyang, leading to the retelling of Norbert’s skin graft story, of how he was beaten by the South Koreans at the DMZ and by North Koreans in Taegu, the fact that during both incidents, the KNP cops stood by (apparently checking themselves for rectal polyps) as they always seem to do when Pyongyang’s thugs get busy (more on that here). These and other sympathetic aspects of Dr. Vollertsen’s story are sometimes forgetten among some of his more incendiary statements.

Norbert and Doug may disagree, but expulsion might be the best thing to happen to them and their cause. It would be an unequivocal statement of ambiguity about who is really in charge in Seoul.