Jang Dong-hyuk, leader of the People Power Party, visits the mourning hall of Lee Hae-chan at the Seoul National University Hospital funeral hall in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on the 30th, with party leadership to pay his respects. [Photo=Yonhap News]

Former Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Hyung-joo drew widespread criticism for his extreme remark, wishing death upon Jang Dong-hyuk, leader of the People Power Party, who was on his sixth day of a hunger strike, stating, "It would be better if he died."

Did his inhumane curse backfire? Their chieftain, Lee Hae-chan, died first.

A Socialist Collaborator Honored with a State Funeral?

Exactly three days after Representative Jang Dong-hyuk ended his hunger strike and was transported to the hospital, Lee Hae-chan suddenly died of natural causes in a Vietnamese hospital on January 25th.

Thanks to a lifetime of devotion to socialism, his final journey was grandly celebrated with a state funeral.

Lee Hae-chan departed for the afterlife with public adoration; if I, who have lived according to norms and abided by the state, were to have a humble family funeral, what would people say? Would they consider my life to have been right?

The more I think about it, the more perplexing this world becomes. Although the media hails him as a fighter for democracy, Lee Hae-chan lived his entire life as an impediment to a free Republic of Korea. Yet, he is revered even in death.

The editorial has been a bit long, but let us compare the lives of Lee Hae-chan, who lived his life as a socialist collaborator, and Representative Jang Dong-hyuk, who risked his life in a hunger strike. Lee Hae-chan was a veteran politician who served seven terms as a member of the National Assembly. On the other hand, Jang Dong-hyuk is a one-and-a-half-term legislator.

Lee Hae-chan was the architect of South Korea's fraudulent election system, aiming for a centennial party, and the person who placed the criminal Lee Jae-myung in the presidential seat. Jang Dong-hyuk, in contrast, is striving to save the People Power Party, a conservative party on the verge of schism, by upholding the will of President Yoon Suk-yeol, who was impeached under martial law.

Lee Hae-chan Dreamed of Overthrowing the State, Jang Dong-hyuk Risked His Life for the Nation

To put it more concisely, Lee Hae-chan fought to overthrow the Republic of Korea, while Jang Dong-hyuk fights for the prosperity of the Republic of Korea.

Furthermore, although the People Power Party and the Democratic Party are in the same political arena in Yeouido, they are, in fact, like sworn enemies.

While Representative Jang Dong-hyuk was fighting to expose their criminal acts and demanding special prosecutors, not a single individual from Lee Jae-myung's Cheong Wa Dae or the 180-seat Democratic Party in the National Assembly showed their face.

Despite this, Representative Jang Dong-hyuk visited the mourning hall of his adversary, who had left him to die, to pay his respects.

When Representative Jang, along with People Power Party leadership including Floor Leader Song Eon-seok and Policy Committee Chairman Jeong Jong-sik, visited Lee Hae-chan's wake, Jeong Cheong-rae, the leader of the Democratic Party, who was serving as the chief mourner, finally expressed concern for Representative Jang's health and inquired about his well-being.

The Democratic Party also issued a statement, saying, "We thank Representative Jang Dong-hyuk of the People Power Party for his condolence visit."

While the deceased's transgressions during his lifetime are worthy of eternal condemnation, Representative Jang set aside the conflict and offered comfort to the bereaved family in the face of a human death.

This does not mean Representative Jang has forgiven Lee Hae-chan from his heart. He merely showed a mature and respectful gesture to the fact that a human life had ended.

Jang Dong-hyuk, who risked his life in a hunger strike for the greater cause, versus Lee Hae-chan, who plunged the nation into crisis under a false delusion.

Jang Dong-hyuk, who consoled the family of his deceased adversary, versus Kim Hyung-joo, who spewed death wishes towards someone facing life and death.

Who dares to discuss the dignity of conservatives and progressives?

◆ Du-me Poet Kim Jin-ho

He is active as a poet, freelance writer, and environmental activist, and has served as the Director of the Daejeon City Museum of Traditional Korean Music and as an advisor to Daejeon University and Chungnam Province. He has published three poetry collections, including the poetry essay collection 'Albatross, the Foolish Bird.' 'Du-me Poet' is his pen name and professional name.