Woo Won-shik, Kim Jong-un's unilateral contact, Media manipulation led to the 'non-attendance' of the Gyeongju APEC summit

Woo Won-shik, Kim Jong-un's unilateral contact, Media manipulation led to the 'non-attendance' of the Gyeongju APEC summit

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On the 3rd, National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik attempted to unilaterally contact North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in the waiting room of an event without informing his Chinese guest, National People's Congress Standing Committee Chairman Zhao Leji. 

He then reported this to the South Korean media, adding a "low voice 'yes'" and a derogatory interpretation of the other country's representative.

The North Korea-China summit's statement on the 4th, which emphasized "prioritizing common interests on the international stage," suggests China's non-participation in the Gyeongju APEC summit in October.

At the start of China's Victory Day event, Speaker Woo unilaterally made remarks like "they shook hands" and "it's been seven years since I saw them," employing the South Korean media's Cold War manipulation techniques of "dramatizing attempts at contact into bilateral exchanges."

Senior Secretary for Political Affairs Woo Sang-ho previously claimed the two men had "just had a drink," reenacting the Cold War strategy of "dressing unilateral attempts at contact as bilateral diplomacy."

Speaker Woo then spoke of "establishing peace on the Korean Peninsula" with Russian President Putin, which the press then reported as "an exchange."

South Korean media intentionally included a photo of Chairman Woo and Chairman Kim from seven years ago to amplify the "handshake" story.

In a separate press conference with South Korean reporters on the 4th, Chairman Woo stated, "Since it's been a long time since we last met, I greeted him with, 'It's been a while. It's been seven years.' (Chairman Kim Jong-un) replied in a low voice, 'Yes, it's nice to meet you,' and shook his hand." 

He continued, "It's unfortunate that we can't have a full-fledged conversation, but I think it's meaningful that we met briefly, even if it was as expected." He declared that Chairman Kim had recognized Chairman Woo well, even after seven years, and that the meeting was an equal encounter.

Chairman Woo, in response to a question about the specific circumstances, stated, "We had a brief meeting, shook hands, and that was the extent of the meeting. The spatial conditions were such that the conversation didn't drag on. It wasn't enough to discuss further." 

He added, "I had a very brief meeting with Chairman Kim, and some experts predicted that it might not be possible to meet again this time." Chairman Woo himself declared himself the "initiator of the mutual meeting."

Chairman Woo met Chairman Kim only once, during the April 2018 inter-Korean summit, and the photo used this time was reportedly taken by the then-senior secretary for public relations at the Blue House.

Chairman Woo announced in a press release on the 3rd, the day of the event, that he had exchanged greetings with Chairman Kim before observing the military parade. He further specified that they had exchanged handshakes. This statement was published in a press release, and the South Korean media covered it extensively.

Some media outlets reported that Chairman Woo's side had requested that China place the South Korean delegation near the North Korean delegation. This request was not met, and instead, the two Koreas were positioned farther apart. China complied with the North Korean request. 

The final event of the Victory Day celebration was announced as a "summit between Xi Jinping and Kim Jong-un, General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea."

On the 4th, Chairman Wu told South Korean reporters, "The Speaker of the National Assembly is not a special envoy of the President," and explained his qualifications for inviting the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of China.

Chairman Kim Jong-un is the General Secretary of the Communist Party of China, and President Xi Jinping invited the General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea, and President Putin is the President of China, and it appears that Chairman Wu is not in a position to arbitrarily use the Victory Day event venue to prioritize personal friendship due to their differences.

 

In bilateral incidents, the Cold War-style media manipulation technique, where one side's propaganda exploits the inability to confirm, refute, or report on the other side, creates a structure where the media disseminates and monopolizes the other side's statements, based on unilateral actions.

This structure, in which the media collaborates meticulously from the outset to exaggerate the other side's achievements, exacerbates the extreme disconnect and perpetuates the confrontation.

Chairman Woo's "nice to meet you" remark in a low voice constitutes a "disparagement" of North Korean Chairman Kim, and it appears that Chairman Woo highlighted this remark in a preemptive press statement in response to the lack of supporting evidence from those around him.
If we infer the circumstances at the time from Chairman Woo's "yes in a low voice," it is highly unlikely that Chairman Kim extended his hand first while responding in a low voice. Rather, Chairman Woo approached him and attempted to make contact, simultaneously speaking and extending his hand, leaving Chairman Kim in a passive position.

During his summit with President Xi Jinping on the 4th, North Korean Chairman Kim Jong-un said, "I highly value China's fair stance on the Korean Peninsula issue," and "I hope that we will safeguard our common and fundamental interests at the UN and other venues."
Xinhua News Agency reported that day that President Xi also said during the summit, "North Korea and China will strengthen strategic cooperation on international and regional issues and safeguard our common interests."

Based on the core agreement of the North Korea-China summit, which is to “protect common interests,” it appears that “South Korea’s unilateral attempt to contact a North Korean representative at a Chinese event at the invitation of China, without the invitation being granted,” will be rejected by both sides.

Senior Presidential Secretary for Political Affairs Woo Sang-ho told reporters on the 28th of last month, "Chairman Kim won't pretend not to know me." He added, "Chairman Woo and Chairman Kim had a drink together during the 2018 inter-Korean summit, so they know each other well." He added, "I suspect they might exchange a brief greeting at a reception or something." This suggests that Chairman Woo's unilateral contact was pre-planned with the Blue House.

On the 27th of last month, Chairman Woo said on a live broadcast of MBC radio, “I went to China in February and met with President Xi Jinping, and President Xi said, ‘It is customary for heads of state to go to APEC, so we are actively considering going. ’ It seemed like it was almost decided that I would come before February.”