The Sewol ferry disaster, recorded as one of the worst maritime accidents in history. "If we just believe the captain's words not to worry, just like the Sewol students, and do nothing, will we all drown as a nation?" [Photo = Center for Public Information]

In late March 1990, after Korean Air's inaugural flight to Moscow, I had the opportunity to visit the Soviet Union for business from the research institute where I was employed. I had several meetings with locals for work discussions, and there's one remark from a Moscow citizen that I still can't forget. 

He said that while the Soviet Union's economy was struggling due to perestroika and glasnost, and life was difficult, they were still happy simply because people no longer disappeared after being arrested by authorities without anyone knowing their whereabouts. 

He explained that under communist dictatorship, they lived in constant anxiety, witnessing neighbors vanish for unknown reasons, leaving behind a sense of unease. He felt that a world where he could share such sentiments with a stranger he had just met meant he understood the meaning of freedom. 

Now, with discussions of constitutional amendments, I feel that something is going wrong. Although I dislike acknowledging it, seeing the current president's actions in the National Assembly, seemingly to withdraw his ongoing trial charges, suggests a regime that will stop at nothing.  

Not only did they fail to appeal the Daejang-dong case, allowing thieves to get away with immense sums of money, but the sight of prosecutors who investigated the inter-Korean remittance case being summoned to the National Assembly and publicly interrogated with accusations of fabricated investigations and witness coercion shows a blatant disregard for the public. I am convinced that truth will triumph over falsehood and send my encouragement and support to the prosecutors standing firm against power. 

What else can one call a regime that distributes cash just before local elections if not treating the public like cattle? Is this not a blatant disrespect for voters, this mindset that cash handouts can win votes, regardless of the burden of national debt passed on to the youth? I am even impressed by the Swiss people who, through a referendum, rejected cash handouts. It's disheartening to think that our civic awareness has reached this point. 

Despite repeated pleas to the National Election Commission to address several issues that could be resolved without amending election laws, particularly regarding the transparency of vote counting for the upcoming local elections, the commission remains unmoved. I cannot understand why they refuse to accept solutions for issues that are not difficult to resolve, such as the stamping of ballot boxes by poll managers, counting of early ballots, manual counting, and surveillance of early ballot boxes. 

The efficiency claimed by the National Election Commission cannot, under any circumstances, take precedence over ensuring transparency. Elections should be conducted only after establishing a voting and counting process that all voters can accept to avoid lingering problems. 

As if that weren't enough, it seems they are now contemplating constitutional amendments to somehow extend their rule. This is likely because it's evident that they will head straight to prison the moment they step down from their positions. 

No one can fault an individual for doing their utmost to secure their personal situation. However, their current actions are excessive beyond belief. While we never expected them to act with common sense from the beginning, the public could never have imagined they would go this far. 

Furthermore, how serious is the ROK-US alliance issue that the ambassador to the US had to make an urgent return? I can hardly believe my ears when I hear questions like, "Why would a country with the world's fifth-largest defense capability rely on foreign troops?" 

Though it is painful to consider, if war were to break out, it is evident that North Korea would launch a southward invasion as an allied force with Russia and China. Any ruler who believes we can win by confronting them alone, without allies like the US and Japan, is truly extraordinary. This is not a left-right issue; it is a matter of national destiny.

It feels like a ship is tilting in the vast ocean with no place to jump off. If we just believe the captain's words not to worry, just like the Sewol students, and do nothing, will we all drown as a nation? I am filled with anxiety. 

As I mentioned earlier, the words of that Moscow citizen I met in the early 1990s during the era of Soviet perestroika and glasnost resonate with me anew. 

I hold onto the belief that the Lord will never abandon this nation, drawing strength from the biblical verse that even ten righteous people can prevent destruction. I am enduring each day with this faith. Now is the time for each of us to deeply consider and act on what we should do. There is no more time. Stand or Die! 

◆ Dr. Kim Jae-soo

Ph.D. in Information Science. Former Head of Agency for Defense Development. Former Adjunct Professor at Kyonggi University. Former 5th and 6th President of the Republic of Korea ROTC Patriots Association. Currently Co-Standing Representative of the National Movement to Abolish Privileges and Chairman of the National Foundation Bit.