Key Congressional Staffers Speak Out on Free Speech, FTA

First, the obvious: the prognosis is bleak for the six-party talks. This from Democratic staffer Frank Januzzi. Januzzi spins this as Congress and the President (read: Republicans) avoiding responsibility, but a much more likely explanation is that Congress hates the deal so much that it won’t appropriate the funds to buy tribute for Pyongyang, particularly without forthcoming admissions about uranium and counterfeiting. You can’t blame any political party for North Korea’s intransigence and dishonesty. The same argument can be reversed: it’s not fair to blame Bill Clinton for North Korean cheating on the Agreed Framework, although you might blame him for tolerating that cheating, and for signing a bad deal to begin with. . . .

Dennis Halpin, almost certainly the most important Korea staffer in Congress and an occasional contributor to this blog, put Free Trade Agreement talks into a light I hadn’t considered:

Dennis Halpin of the House International Relations Committee warned of growing Chinese influence on the peninsula. “Korea is a ripe apple, swinging to fall on the lap of China,” he said, but added a free trade agreement between the U.S. and Korea could be used to improve the two countries’ relations.

But there are sticking points in the talks of course. Halpin, a conservative Republican, suggested that Democratic pickups could imperil an agreement, although I will respectfully differ from my friend in that not all factions of the Democratic Party would necessarily oppose an FTA. As he no doubt knows better than me, it probably depends more on the interests of the particular district.

And now for a matter closer to my heart:

Halpin also cited press reports that Seoul is trying to block the production of a musical about a North Korean concentration camp, and urged the South to take more active issue with human rights abuses in the North.

I distantly remember a time when liberalism stood up for free speech everywhere. The ex-Marmot notes–and it’s a fair criticism–that the South Korean government still isn’t on record admitting or denying the story. After a day or so, however, it seems this argument turns on itself. One would suspect that an issue that’s raised the ire of the House’s professional staff, and by extension, its most important members, would be worth a prompt denial and refutation if it’s false. It’s not enough, however, for the government to cease its pressure on Yodok Story. The government is responsible for upholding the rule of law within its borders. No matter who is threatening and silencing Yodok Story must be found, caught, and punished in accordance with the law. Vicarious censorship and censorship by withdrawal of state protection are just as oppressive as direct government action. Too many times, the government has shown a willingness to turn aside while thugs do Kim Jong Il’s work on the streets of Seoul.