José Saramago's novel "The City of the Blinding"

Recently, author Kim Kyu-na introduced a novel perfectly suited to the current political climate on the 308th episode of "A World Like a Novel."

Kim Kyu-na described José Saramago's "The City of the Blinding" as "a brutal fable showing how power violates the rules of democracy."

This novel is set four years after the end of the white blindness epidemic in the author's previous work, "Blindness." In this novel, too, inexplicable events occur related to an election.

"In an election held by the government, a bizarre voting result is declared. There are no abstentions and no invalid votes, yet a staggering 83% of voters cast blank ballots. The government, flustered, immediately holds a rerun election, but the blank ballots increase further.

The regime, losing its reason in the face of the voters' terrifying silence, defines this as a massive act of terrorism aimed at overthrowing the system. The government imposes a blockade on the city, declares martial law, and oppresses citizens through all manner of political maneuvering and false propaganda.

The state has turned its citizens into enemies simply because they did not produce the conclusion the regime desired. However, even in the face of threats, the citizens maintain a remarkable order and restraint amidst the chaos. Enraged by this, the government eventually identifies a scapegoat, falsely accuses innocent people, sacrifices them, and takes control of the city by force, claiming they were the masterminds behind the situation."

After introducing the plot of the novel, Kim Kyu-na diagnosed, "The reality of the June 3rd local elections held in South Korea in 2026 is far more sordid and barbaric than the imagination depicted in the novel."

"While the regime in the novel feared the terrifying silence of the people expressed through blank votes, the corrupt powers in this country have boldly stolen and manipulated the sacred votes of the people, committing what is known as 'vote theft.' This is an undeniable 'election fraud.' It is the worst act of state terrorism in constitutional history, a theft of the people's sovereignty.

What is even more outrageous is the attitude of state power towards the citizens who have risen up after their sovereignty was stolen. Towards the citizens who have been protesting for 12 days over the shortage of ballot papers, the regime, instead of reflecting, is wielding the sharp blade of coercive state power.

The head of the regime, as if waiting for the opportunity, ordered the police to maintain 'strict order according to law and principles,' and the police are brandishing the threat of 'special coercion,' a charge punishable by up to 10 years in prison, openly warning that those who sympathize with the protest will 'ruin their lives.'"

Kim Kyu-na pointed out, "It is like the thieves are threatening the victims whose votes were stolen, saying they won't let them get away with it. The dictator's cruel command in the novel, 'shoot them in the legs if they don't back down,' is being replayed exactly in the squares of South Korea in 2026."

She added, "José Saramago, who received the Nobel Prize in Literature, is a hard-core leftist writer. Like his previous work, 'Blindness,' 'The City of the Blinding' also depicts the government's tyranny and the citizens' resistance to it. The setting where a 'far-right' government suppresses 'democratic' citizens after the blank vote incident is a novel trapped in a typical leftist frame." She advised readers that they don't necessarily need to read this book.

Nevertheless, there is a reason why Kim Kyu-na is bringing up this book. It is because, "The reality of those who, under the guise of 'democracy' in South Korea today, steal votes in broad daylight and threaten those who protest with 'ruining their lives,' is far more barbaric than the fictional dictatorial regime imagined by a leftist writer."

Furthermore, Kim Kyu-na emphasized that freedom is not given for free, and rights do not belong to those who are bystanders. She then asks whether we will submit to the false conclusions handed down by corrupt power and the threats of state power, or whether we will correct the causality that has been broken by our own hands and reclaim the stolen freedom.

Kim Kyu-na cried out, "Faced with the immense anger of the public who have opened their eyes to the truth, dictators who try to survive by stealing votes and using water cannons and the fear of ruin will never succeed. We must now begin a sacred struggle to reclaim the stolen future of Korea and the foundation of liberal democracy."

Wake up, individuals!

Rise up, free South Korea!

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Shinhan Bank 110-072-537351 (Depositor: Kim Kyu-na)

◆ Author Kim Kyu-na

She debuted in 2006 with the short story 'My Man's Dream' winning the Busan Ilbo New Writer's Contest, and in 2007 with the short story 'Knife' winning the Chosun Ilbo New Writer's Contest. She has published novels such as 'Trust Me' and 'Cherry Lemon Cocktail,' and recently released 'A World Read Through Novels.'