CHOSUN ILBO

Pyongyang Mayor Cha Hui-rim Issues Harsh Crackdown on "March for Liberty" Protesters, Potentially Forcing Conflict With Seoul Over Level Of Local Autonomy

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(PYONGYANG) - Activists from the "March for Liberty" movement came down upon Pyongyang this week in droves, numbering up to an estimated 100,000 total protesters. Protesters came from the South, as well as from the burgeoning activist population in the North, to advocate for the total abolishment of the North's infamous prison camps - control of which was transferred to local provinces and cities in the union agreement. Nearly a year after union, the Northern Governors and Mayors have done little with regards to camps, upholding the Workers' Party of Korea's official stance of non-intervention and status quo. Despite signals pointing to unavoidable non-action on the local level, the "March for Liberty" movement intended to provide direct, democratic pressure to WPK officials for the first time in the new Union through peaceful protest.

The protest wouldn't get a chance to even begin. Upon hearing news of activists moving to the city, Pyongyang Mayor Cha Hui-rim activated the City Guard - the city-equivalent for the Provincial Guard, a series of provincial local defense forces intended for times of crisis - for the first time in the Union's short history. The day of the protests, the City Guard ransacked the hotels that key activists were staying in, making a number of prominent arrests. Over three dozen were killed, and many more injured.

Though over 3,000 members of the Pyongyang City Guard continue to guard the city and forbid any activists from taking to the streets, political pressure has been building in Seoul for Premier Moon Jae-in to act - either on the camps or on the brutal crackdown. Lee Jun-seok, Leader of the People Power Party, stated that "the camps are a dark stain on Korea's history, and must be abolished immediately" and, further, that "the Premier must act to support democracy and democratic action in this short-lived movement - peaceful protest must be allowed, in the North and the South." The Premier has been slow to act on many national issues, not wanting to upset the fragile federalism borne from the union agreement and delegating much responsibility to local authorities. This might no longer be possible, with the situation in Pyongyang rapidly heading towards a broader crisis regarding the level of control that local WPK officials in the North have, and the level of control that Seoul can exercise.

A symbolic vote condemning Mayor Cha Hui-rim's crackdown showed the intense partisan nature of the issue. The vote succeeded - notably with the support of all 20 of the military's voting seats in the Union Council and with the support of all Southern parties - but failed to attract even one vote from the WPK. General-Secretary Choe Ryong-hae of the WPK issued a direct statement of support of the Mayor, stating that "this Union's agreement held that local Mayors and Governors have the ability to take action within their own jurisdictions, which is exactly what the Mayor did."

The Premier has remained publicly silent about what action, if any, Seoul will take, though he has been arranging meetings with top-level military officials, as well as top level WPK officials.

[m: roll for reaction to government's delay - 1 the delay is unpopular, 20 the delay is accepted]