Uncovering the Government’s Efforts to Suppress Anti-Government Political Activities in the Art World

2023-10-04 12:47:41

Circumstances in which a document was directly reported to ‘neutralize anti-government political activities of pro-North Korea forces in the art world

A document written by the Lee Myung-bak administration’s National Intelligence Service in 2010 on ‘neutralizing anti-government political activities by pro-North Korea forces in the arts community.’ Candidate for Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Yoo In-chon was the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism at the time.

It was confirmed that the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism) appeared in a document written by the National Intelligence Service (NIS) during the Lee Myung-bak (MB) administration, which contained contents about the management of culture and artists, such as ‘selecting pro-North Korean artists and including them in government support projects’. . Candidate Yoo In-chon, who was the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism at the time, completely denies the blacklist allegations, saying, “There was no blacklist under the Lee Myung-bak administration.” On the 4th, if you look at the document ‘Neutralizing the anti-government political activities of pro-North Korea forces in the art world’ prepared by the National Intelligence Service of the Lee Myung-bak administration in 2010, it contains a plan to ‘suppress’ cultural and artistic people who voice critical voices against the government at the time. The document stated, “Recently, pro-North Korea figures in the entertainment, culture and arts world are planning activities to criticize the government by uniting three groups targeting the 2012 political schedule (presidential election), so a close response is necessary.” In addition, referring to some cultural artists such as Moon Seong-geun, Yoon Do-hyun, Myeong Gye-nam, and Lee Oe-soo, they said, “Unifying the opposition and explicitly inciting criticism of the regime by advocating regime change,” and “Stimulating emotions by putting on the stage of plays and concerts issues such as unemployment, which are a concern for people in their 20s and 30s.” He said. The document also contains information specifying the role of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, where candidate Yu In-chon was serving as minister. The document said, “If the anti-government activities of pro-North Korea figures in the art world are left unattended, there are concerns that it will have a profound negative impact, such as a leftward shift in society as a whole, so it must be suppressed through preemptive and thorough measures.” “For moderate left-wing figures, we are seeking ways to purify them, such as embracing them,” he wrote, and “we are pursuing strategic allyship, such as selecting pro-North Korea artists who can be embraced and including them in government support projects.” It was confirmed that the prosecution, which was investigating the ‘illegal surveillance of the National Intelligence Service’ from 2017 to 2018, secured a statement that the National Intelligence Service of the MB government wrote the document and sent it to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. According to the investigation records of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office at the time, the prosecution told Mr. I asked, “What does it mean?” about what was displayed. Mr. A stated, “Restrictions are for cases that contain somewhat sensitive content and are not used in daily reports,” and that “external organizations would refer to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism as the relevant ministry, and it is restricted so that only the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism can view it.” In addition, Mr. A stated to the prosecution, “The restricted document is a document that the IO (intelligence officer) in charge of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism directly delivers to the minister’s secretary in the name of the Director of the National Intelligence Service in a personal form.” Regarding the fact that ‘※ Distribution: Director of the President’s Office, Senior Secretary for Political Affairs, Civil Affairs, Education and Culture’ is written at the bottom of the document, he said, “This means that it is a document ultimately distributed to the Director of the President’s Office and Senior Secretary for Political Affairs, Civil Affairs, Education and Culture in addition to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.”

A document written by the Lee Myung-bak administration’s National Intelligence Service in 2010 on ‘neutralizing anti-government political activities by pro-North Korea forces in the arts community.’ Candidate for Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Yoo In-chon was the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism at the time.

Regarding the inclusion of the expression ‘need to deal closely with it’ at the top of the document, Mr. “I do not use it,” he said, adding, “It is expressed as above because it is a document sent to another organization.” Previously, in a written response to questions submitted to the National Assembly on the 3rd, Candidate Yoo answered questions from lawmakers regarding the suspicions of a blacklist during the MB government by saying, “There was no blacklist.” When asked whether he thought a blacklist investigation was necessary, he said, “There is no need for a separate investigation or inquiry.” Candidate Yoo was the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism in the MB government for three years from February 2008 to January 2011. Reporter Park Ji-young [email protected]
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