South Korea’s ex-President is alarmed about giving Pyongyang’s army a railroad to attack South

SEOUL, Republic of Korea – In the run-up to the December 19 elections, when the South Korean electorate will choose the next President of their country, it’s whispered that one of the most important "kingmakers" – if not the deciding factor – is former President Kim Young-sam, whose popularity is undimmed although he has shunned the limelight following his retirement from the Presidency in February 1998.

What Koreans know about Kim Young-sam (everybody seems to be named "Kim" in Korea, if not Lee or Park) is that he never enriched himself in office.

He still lives in the comfortable but unassuming home at 7-6 Sangdo-Idong, Dongjak-gu, in a Seoul suburb.

"Every taxi-driver knows this place," he smiled when I arrived there last Wednesday afternoon, "because I’ve lived in this same house for the past 34 years." (No, he doesn’t have a mansion or apartment complex anywhere else.)

Indeed, you approach this modest home and compound via narrow, winding streets that lead uphill. There are, of course, dozens of security men along the route, simply attired in checkered civilian-type shirts and baseball caps, armed only (it seems) with night-sticks or batutas as we say in Tagalog, but communicating with each other constantly over hand-radios.

Since armed goons and infiltrators from the Communist regime of North Korea’s "Glorious Leader" (formerly styled "Dear Leader") Kim Jong-il would dearly love to gun down or blow up their relentless nemesis, Kim Y.S., I’ve no doubt that not far away from those seemingly harmless-looking young fellows with mere clubs hanging from their waists and no artillery in their waistbands, there are concealed at least a platoon of SWAT-type commandos with modern weaponry.

Sus, perhaps the incumbent President Kim Dae-jung, who doesn’t love Kim Young-sam either – and I’ll let you know why soon enough – might not grieve if some assassin did his predecessor in. There’s more than just "politics" affecting the relationship between the two.

In the meantime, however, candidates planning to toss their hats into the presidential race – or those already in the running – have been beating a discreet path to Mr. Kim’s door, or seeking an "appointment" with him.

We spent four hours together Wednesday, a "no-holds-barred" talk-session capped by a delicious and spicy dinner served in his small dining room by male staffers – including, of course, kim-chi and tasty bulgogi. The spiciest of all, on the other hand, were the Honorable Kim’s feisty remarks, delivered with the usual mild-looking, deadpan expression which characterized his political career. He had been, after all, elected nine times to the National Assembly, before being swept into the Presidency in 1992 – with 90 percent of the vote – despite the opposition of the military and its cult of dictatorship.

He had been persecuted, harassed, kicked around, placed under "house arrest" for three years (he couldn’t set foot outside during that period), then, suddenly, on February 25, 1993, he was being sworn in as President of the Republic in the Blue House, which, as I’ve said, is their Malacañang.

Since 1961, the military had ruled with an iron hand (every succeeding President after the Putschist, General Park Chun Hee, had been a general). As the first elected civilian since those decades of coups, the courageous Kim Young-sam changed all that. Within three days of his assuming office, he dismantled the "military clique" whose cabal had masterminded all those coups d’etat, past and "future" by ordering all the star-rank officers holding the major military positions immediately replaced.

It was a stunning "Palace coup". The generals and admirals were so taken by surprise that they didn’t know how to react. Nor could they react. After all, they knew that Kim had such an overwhelming support base in the population that riots, and even armed resistance and civil war would be provoked.

"I was confident they couldn’t oppose my move, although I couldn’t be sure," Mr. Kim told me later. "However, at that stage, I wasn’t afraid of anything. I was determined. I had been fighting for democracy for 40 years, and I said to myself: This is it. This is my chance to make it stick. My mind was set."

One by one, the military "cells" within the armed forces were broken up.

"Indeed," he related last Wednesday. "I paved the way for the peaceful election of Kim Dae-jung. But he didn’t and he doesn’t appreciate it."

"In fact, he laughed," no sooner had I relinquished the Presidency than he had me investigated, set his inquisitors pawing through my records, sent agents to dig into everything I did or any possible ‘wealth’ I might be concealing, or any corrupt things I might have done. But they found nothing."

‘Let’s see what happens," he grinned, "after he (Kim Dae-jung) steps down, as he must, next February 25, 2003."

When I pressed him to tell me what, the former Chief Executive smiled even more broadly: "It’s too early for anyone to presume to spell out what will happen." This is the kind of remark usually accompanied by the so-called "Mona Lisa" smile.

In any event, there are many things the redoubtable Kim Young-sam said that I’ll spell out in a full-fledged front page article next Sunday.

* * *

Commenting on the prospect that US President George Bush might "attack" Iraq, ex-President Kim said that South Koreans are normally supportive of the United States. He didn’t have to explain that – although the media and the intelligentsia may wax critical and even scornful – the general population still feel that US has been their ally and protector for many years, since the Korean War.

"There is no anti-American feeling in South Korea," he declared, in response to my mention that recently there has been an increasing number of anti-US demonstrations and street protests. "Those are just a few troublemakers," he pointed out, "and they usually do it for the TV cameras and photographers." True enough, he added, the young people may be indifferent about such matters, even about the "threat" from North Korea, but they’re not "anti-American", he added.

Mr. Kim remains staunchly against the "sunshine policy" of appeasement of North Korea launched by President Kim Dae-jung. (As I’ve pointed out, they’re all named "Kim").

"How can he, nor any of us, trust that Kim Jong-il," he snorted. "He’s not only unpredictable." He made a motion with his finger to indicate he meant "crazy."

The former President expressed concern over the boast of President Kim that he was opening an "Iron Silk Road" between South and North Korea – with the construction work starting on September 18 (next Wednesday) – to reconnect a railway link between the two Koreas as well as reopen a highway link between those two hostile states, one Communist and the other free.

"The North Koreans once tried to dig a tunnel under the DMZ so they could infiltrate their troops or armed saboteurs into South Korea – now we’re even giving them a railroad!" he exclaimed, with a deceptively mild expression on his face.

And, come to think of it, that’s something to consider. Anyway, there’s more to be said about Kim Young-sam’s "wise sayings" later.

* * *

Tourists from South Korea to the Philippines seem to be growing in number rather than diminishing, despite an adverse "travel advisory" issued by their government last week. Anyway, that’s the impression our very capable Ambassador to that country, Juanito P. Jarasa, got when he worriedly checked last weekend.

Ambassador Jarasa learned I was in town and sought me out at a reception given at the Shilla Hotel for our Asia-Europe Press Forum 2002. During the three years he was posted on Seoul, (he succeeded former Ambassador Ernesto S. Gidaya), Jarasa noticed that Korean tourists found our country an increasingly attractive holiday destination – despite the "bad things" that happened to a few of them here. (Wait till word gets around about that "Asian Spirit" plane that had to crashland with a full load of Korean tourists – but, at least, when the pilot skillfully brought the defective airplane to their crashlanding, the terrified Korean tourists aboard applauded him. Surely, though, their spirits were somewhat dampened.)

In any event, the Department of Tourism representative based here had reported to the Ambassador that to date 159,000 Korean visitors have been to the Philippines this year, and this figure, by the end of December, is expected to exceed 300,000. This would make Koreans our third biggest customers when it comes to tourism – next only to "Americans" and Japanese. That figure about "Americans", on the other hand, must be misleading, since the DOT and government, bean-counters classify "Filipino-Americans" and Balikbayans as American arrivals, which is wrong.

The fondness of Koreans for our land (Abu Sayyaf or the death of an Embassy official etc., notwithstanding) was confirmed enthusiastically by the lady manager of the bookshop and gift shop in our hotel, The Shilla. (It’s also the hotel pharmacy). When she found out that we were from Manila, she gushed that she had just spent her holiday there – and, boy, did she "love" our tasty mangos and the friendliness of the people. (Not a word about our pollution, partly caused by those ten-year old junk buses we "import" from Korea and Japan.)

I can only say: They are most welcome.

For our part, some 30,000 Filipinos are working in South Korea. Of these, 17,465 are "undocumented" – meaning, I suppose, well – illegal. I was surprised when Johnny Jarasa explained that he had gotten that statistic from the Korean government, which obviously keeps tabs statistically on such matters.

Another 8,000 work here under the category of "industrial trainees" – at least that is their euphemistic classification, although quite a number of them were recruited really to do the tough jobs Koreans themselves are loathe to undertake. Then, of course, there are 650 "entertainers" (mebbe more?) plus 1,300 employed as domestic helpers, mostly with "ex-pat" families. There are 300 Filipino professionals, too.

Finally – here’s the kicker – there are 2,000 Filipino wives, married to Koreans in one or another of those mass weddings organized by the Unification Church of the Reverend Moon.

* * *

By the way, hearing the "news" from home, I’m surprised at all that furor over having to "evacuate" 121 Filipinos from Iraq, in the face of a possible "strike", against Baghdad by US forces. Susmariosep, what a fuss! I’m afraid that President GMA and the Department of Foreign Affairs won’t find many "takers" for voluntary evacuation or "rescue" among the Filipinos employed in Baghdad and elsewhere in Iraq. It’s probably safer over there, even when they’re being stormed at with shot and shell than over here in our dear archipelago. And, over there, they’ve got jobs (such as in the UN agencies for which many of them do technical work) while back home they’d be unemployed.

Filipinos are a hardy bunch. They’ll wait until the last minute, and somehow find their own way out. But they will refuse to be yanked out, when they could be earning another dollar or dinar. Or whatever they cross your palm with (silver?) over there.

I got up in the wee hours of early morning yesterday to watch CNN, BBC, and all those TV scenes of America’s "wartime" President George "Dubya" Bush, a tear in his eye, vowing that the victims of terrorist attack in the Twin Towers, in the Pentagon, and those who valiantly perished in Pennsylvania, would never be "forgotten" – and that the terrorists would never prevail.

I said to myself: Here’s the face of a guy who’s going to war. The question, for all that wheezing about "consulting" and getting the backing of the United Nations is not IF, but WHEN. And, you can be sure, America’s faithful friend and ally (you’ve got to admire his gumption, even when confronted by frowns in his own Labour Party) Prime Minister Tony Blair will be there marching forward with Yankee Doodle.

Already, the cost of oil is shooting sky-high. Something’s going to happen, sooner than later.