Little Big Moment

DAY 1

Taking off at Seoul City Hall Station, a busybody of people were all moving toward 12 different exits of the stations. I felt as if I were the only stranger to this subway station, standing before a big map showing the vicinity of the station and figuring out as to which one of the exits was leading up to Deoksugung Daehanmun gate. At the end of the painstaking effort, I found the exit. A big crowd of protesters was circling a stage with a huge screen filling up the background; I knew I found the right place. Taking out my camera, I started shooting photos.

A fair-haired lady in her 40s stood next to me and whispered, “you should probably take that thing off if you don’t want to find trouble here.’’

Only then I realized she was referring to the yellow ribbon badge clipped on my backpack: the ribbon symbolizing the support for the victims and their families of Sewol Ferry Disaster. Quickly, I removed the badge and hid it in my pocket. Half an hour later, when one of the protesters accused a young man in 20s video-recording the protest of being left-wing communist spying on them, a shudder convulsed through my body. Even the smallest signs opposing the protesters’ political ideology was enough to put someone in danger.

To the protesters, the Sewol victims were the object of hatred and an anti-government faction who aspire to defy the authority and their proud right-winged principles. Many attribute the recent impeachment of Former President Park to the public rage about the less-than-timely measures taken by the Park Administration when the victims, mostly high school students on their way to a school field trip, were desperately waiting for a rescue.

What enraged these Park advocates and the related extreme right-wing activists?  The recent thawing wind blew amidst tensions surrounding Korean peninsula fueled these people and reminded them of nuclear horror, what they considered to be the product of Sunshine Policy of the past administrations whose had been lenient toward North Korea. The presidential sanction inviting North Korean envoy and a surprising announcement that North and South Koreas will form a joint team to play ice hockey for the PyeongChang Olympic stoked the fire already fiercely burning down South Korea’s political strife.

The protesters were mobilizing to march around the downtown Seoul area where only a year ago, more than 20,000 gathered together and held candlelight protest to cry out for the impeachment of the former President Park.

This time, North Korea’s announcement to send the envoy to PyeongChang Olympic, and South Korean government that offered North Korea to join the Ice Hockey team.

Here and there, many protesters were dressed up in military uniforms, showing their militant nature. The protesters were encircled by the riot police, the police squads designated to maintain orders in protests. Fighting the frigid winter weather, the riot police are keeping watchful eyes on the protesters to make sure no violence would break out like it the day of the impeachment.

Joongang Tongyang Broadcasting Company (JTBC) estimates that three protesters died, more than 30 of protesters and 15 riot police were injured, and 15 police vehicles were damaged from the violence broke out as soon as the Constitutional Court announced Park's impeachment on December 9, 2016.

An old female protester who sat in the back row of the gathering was whispering with her feeble and inaudible voice. The South Korean flag she was waving was enough to notice that she was willing to consume every bit of her energy for a cause she deemed worth fighting for.

A man dressed up in traditional Korean costume, wearing a hat that can only be seen on historical drama was humming an inaudible sound with his eyes fixed on the stage. He then turned around to bystanders and said, “the fate of our country is at stake, the dark and evil hands of North Korean communism are looming on our beloved country.”

The protesters worry that PyeongChang Olympic can be second version Sunshine Policy communizing the country. To them, the fear is real. To them, those who do not share their concerns are blinds; the young generation is deaf.

After the tolerating for three hours out in the bone-chilling cold wind, when and where the next protest will be held were announced from the stage. It was the day Samjiyon Band, a classical music ensemble a major troupe delivering North Korean propaganda, comes from North Korea as a peace gesture to perform at National Theatre of Korea in Seoul on February 11th. As they are dismissed, protesters are all fired up about their plan, their resolve to show how South Korea will stay alert, not to be deceived again by the Communist for the whole world to see, for the impoverished North Korean puppets to see for themselves.

DAY 2

Arriving at the theatre, about 300 protesters gathered forming a legion, a blood-thirsty one willing to throw their life for their belief. To control unrest that might go out of control, police set up a barricade. The protest control units were setting up a perimeter, and the police officers mostly in the early 20s were wearing no emotion on their face. Their solemn face and the intensity, mixed up the - 12-degree Celsius (14 Fahrenheit) temperature, made the day felt even more frigid than usual.

Then, one of the lead protesters took out a megaphone and called out their rallying cry, which sounded like it’s been practiced. Then, angry music that hardly the taste for an average elderly Koreans began to play. As strange as one might assume, the music of old South Korean protesters to scare away a classical music ensemble comprised of young perky North Koreans who came to deliver peace terms was enough to draw attention from the public and the press.

A news reporter with a visible enthusiasm took a step closer to the crowd of protesters to get an interview. Quickly a cameraman tagged along to shoot, but a protester rebuffed the interview request. When the reporter persistently implored, another protester with a military uniform interfered and yelled, “you trash are always writing and deceiving people with fake news. Write a news article, not a novel. Then, you can come and interview us.” The reporter gave up and turned his back on them, and shrugged his shoulder in disappointment.

A mother with two children was watching the protest and expressed a ponderous concern for the protesters’ health. She said, “I have a mother and a father of their age.” She sympathizes the protesters and blames the instigators as the delusional maniacs who manipulate the poor old men and women for their selfish interests and gains.

The screeching voice of the protesters stopped an old gentleman wearing a traditional beige costume. He was upset, asking them why they were waving the Korean flag and were acting like they were patriots. Watching the three protesters encircling the man, a sensible citizen would drag him out from scene to keep him from harm’s way. They weren’t going to have a reasonable debate.

As the time for the arrival of Sanjiyon band drew close, some agitated protesters were losing patience as their plan to throw their unwavering anti-communism spirit at the face of Samjiyon band member was thwarted at best. One female protester cried out, “the President of this country is trying to hand over its people to North Korean communist!” The rest of the protesters concurred and echoed her outcry. The sound of their anger popped here and there.

Feeling the escalating heat of the protest, the police called for backup as a precautionary measure. Soon, the reinforcement arrived with protective gears on. Because the Park advocates burnt North Korean flags and could potentially do the same or the worse, some high-ranking police officers at the frontline of the police perimeter were trying to dissuade the protesters from starting radical scenes in the most respectful tone.

After sometimes, the protesters were told that the Samjiyon band all entered into the theater as the police escorted them in. The news seemed to extinguish the day’s volatile mood. The instigators took turns and gave closing speeches to the fervent protesters, and one of them yelled out, “this communist-friendly administration had invited North Koreans who came to defile the Olympic spirit and turned the celebration into a catastrophe.”

What drives these old protesters to come out and make a stand? These old men and women were genuinely concerned that people, especially young generation, are closing their eyes and shutting their ears to North Korea’s evil scheme using the festivity of the Olympic. Surprisingly, however, no one seems to lend support for their cause. Instead, many are seeing the protest with contempt, jeer, and compassion and protesters like a party crasher. As people are singing global peace, unity, and harmony and celebrating the event, do we need to listen to the cacophony sung by these radicals?