The ‘Streets Ingore,’ the Chosun Ilbo Doesn’t
Sort of a bad news/good news proposition: a few dozen passersby turn away, but a few million citizens read a sympathetic portrayal of your message and see your photogenic messengers in full color. The article depicts LiNK as a lonely voice in the wilderness, but in fact, Project Sunshine was media exploitation brilliance. LiNK is the flip side of the lesson Hanchongryon forgot: effective activism isn’t about numbers. It’s about using the numbers you have effectively.
Unfortunately, successful media exploitation does not always equal issue success. I argued in my blog that because Project Sunshine derived most of its tactics from anti-war protestors, it brings alot of attention but it might not cause any actual change within the masses. But I do agree that quality should take precedence over quantity, and I hope LiNK continues to attract the best, not the most.
I applaud the LiNK members to have the “balls” to silently protest with pictures of deprivations. No red headbands, no bamboo spears, no steel pipes but peacefully remind though I suspect many will look away. That’s fine as faint voice from wilderness shall overcome general apathy of reality in NK and grandeurs of unification.