언론과 표현의 자유를 침해하며
사드 배치 철회 목소리를 봉쇄하려는 국방부를 규탄한다

국방부가 언론중재위에 통일뉴스 그림만평 ‘사드 배치의 진실’에 대한 정정보도를 신청한 사실이 확인되었다.

국방부는 통일뉴스 그림만평이 “사실을 왜곡하여 보도함으로써 ... 사드 도입에 대한 부정적 인식을 야기시키고 ... 한미 국방부와 주한미군의 ... 정당한 노력과 명예를 훼손”한다고 주장하였다. 하지만 국방부가 왜곡했다는 그림만평의 내용들은 이미 정치인, 전문가, 방송보도에서 수차례 제기되고 다뤄진 내용에 근거한 것들이다. 이를테면 만평 내용 중 사드 배치와 관련하여 국회와 국민의 동의를 받아야 한다는 점은 ‘사실’의 문제가 아니라 주장이라는 점에서 애초부터 정정보도의 대상이 될 수 없고, 사드 배치로 인해 우리 국민들이 운영유지비를 부담하거나 주한미군 방위비분담금이 늘어날 수 있다는 점도 합리적 추론이 가능한 내용이다. 사드 레이더가 중국을 겨냥하고 있다는 점도 중국 당국이나 미국 MD전문가들이 주장하는 내용이다. 전자파 영향 문제도 안전성이 검증되지 않아 우려의 대상이 되고 있는 것이 사실이다. 때문에 그림만평을 정정보도해야 한다는 국방부의 주장은 국회와 국민들의 합리적 의심과 우려를 묵살하고 헌법이 보장한 언론보도의 자유와 예술창작의 자유를 침해하는 것이라 할 수 있다.  

더구나 국방부가 언론중재위에 정정보도를 신청한 것은 명징한 논리전개가 필요한 ‘기사’가 아니라 의인화된 사드가 등장하고 등장인물들이 말풍선으로 대화하는 ‘그림만평’이다. 풍자를 특성으로 하는 만평에 대해 정정보도를 신청한 이번 국방부의 졸렬한 행태는 만평작가들의 상상력까지 검열·통제해야 할 정도로 사드 배치의 정당성과 명분이 없다는 현실의 반증이라 할 만하다. 

우리는 이번 국방부의 정정보도 신청이 방송통신심의위원회가 사드의 유해성을 언급한 인터넷 게시글을 삭제한 사건이나 사드 관련 KBS 보도지침 사건에 이어 발생했다는 점에 주목한다. 국방부는 정정보도 신청에서 “해당 내용이 모바일과 SNS 등을 통해 급속히 확산 일로에 있다”는 점을 지적했다. 이는 박근혜 정부가 우리 국민에게 부정적 영향을 끼칠 수 있는 중대한 사안인 사드 배치에 반대하고 우려하는 국민들의 목소리를 원천 봉쇄하려는 것으로 크게 우려하지 않을 수 없다. 

이에 우리는 국방부가 통일뉴스 만평에 대한 언론중재위 정정보도 신청을 즉각 취하할 것을 촉구한다. 아울러 사드 배치에 관한 언론의 자유와 국민들의 표현의 자유를 보장할 것을 촉구한다.

2016년 9월 23일

사드한국배치저지전국행동

※ 사드한국배치저지전국행동은 한반도·동북아 평화를 위협할 사드(THAAD) 한국 배치 결정을 철회하기 위해, 전국 100여 개 시민사회단체가 모여 구성한 연대기구입니다. Facebook @NoThaadKr [email protected]

<국방부가 정정보도를 요구한 주요 장면>

※ 통일뉴스 만평 "사드 배치의 진실" >> 클릭

The decision to place THAAD in South Korea, which threatens peace in the Korean Peninsula and Northeast Asia and violates the residents’ right to live peacefully, must be rescinded. 

The entire country is being shaken, and the already-dangerous political situation in the Korean Peninsula and Northeast Asia is becoming even more unpredictable because on July 8, 2016, South Korea and the U.S. announced that they are deploying THAAD to South Korea. Up until South Korea and the U.S. officials announced Seongju, North Gyeongsang Province as the location for THAAD deployment, this process had been entirely ambiguous and one-sided. Even though a plethora of concerns regarding the use, the efficiency, the military/diplomatic prices, and the side effects of THAAD were raised, the South Korean government, behind the curtains, decided to follow the request of the U.S. Now, in Seongju, the anger and the resistance of its residents, who have suddenly been notified of the deployment of THAAD, are growing rapidly. 
 
THAAD is not a weapons system for the residents of the Korean peninsula or for their defense. 

THAAD is essentially a part of the U.S. Missile Defense System (MD). It will be the U.S. military and government that will be running THAAD. MD is an aggressive weapons system, based on the “absolutely stubborn” idea, which aims to incapacitate the missile attacks of the countries against the U.S. and enable the U.S. to launch missiles whenever they want to. The South Korean government is insisting that the deployment of THAAD is to defend the Korean Peninsula from North Korean nuclear weapons and missiles. However, recently, the government has admitted that THAAD cannot defend Seoul and its metropolitan area. The South Korean government is still advertising as if THAAD can at least defend the area within its 200km radius, but this is not true. 200km is nothing but a number to describe the range of the intercept missile attached to THAAD. But, the detectable range of the radar on THAAD theoretically reaches at most a few thousand kilometers. This is why there has been criticism that the main purpose of the frontline deployment of THAAD is to detect medium- to long-range missiles flying over the Korean Peninsula and nearby skies according to the U.S. military strategy. Therefore, there is no such thing as an “adequate” location to place THAAD in this country. The decision of South Korea and the U.S. to place THAAD in Seongju must be rescinded. 

THAAD deployment is militarily and diplomatically self-destructive measure, which will threaten the safety of South Korean citizens and become a severe obstruction in peace and prosperity of the Korean Peninsula and Northeast Asia.

South Korean THAAD is closely related to the missile defense system that was introduced to Japan. Deployment of THAAD to South Korea signifies that South Korea will be sucked into the U.S.-Japan MD, which targets not only North Korea but also China, as a subsidiary partner, and that the Korea-U.S.-Japan military cooperation system will become official. No matter how much South Korean government claims that this is essential to the South Korean sovereignty, the international society and neighboring countries will not accept it. The “strategic companion” relationship with China has become a meaningless term, and the basis of economic cooperation and the friendly relationship between the citizens of both countries can be at risk. China and Russia have already announced that they will be “taking correspondent measures.” It is obvious that this will also negatively affect the international cooperation to solve the nuclear problem in the Korean Peninsula. This is why THAAD can never be a tool to protect the safety of South Korean citizens and peace in the Korean Peninsula. The decision to place THAAD, the “real danger,” which brings threats and conflicts instead of peace, in South Korea must be rescinded.   

We also protest against the undemocratic and non-transparent decision process. 

Before facilitating THAAD deployment, exhibitions, discussions, and evaluations of its use, effects, and military/diplomatic significance should have been carried out. The information about the negotiation process must have been transparently released. However, the South Korean government skipped all these procedures and simply controlled all information. There was not enough discussion even within the related organizations. They treated this important matter, which puts the future of peace in the Korean Peninsula at stake, as if they are carrying out a military strategy. The South Korean national assembly, which represents all of South Korean citizens, never received any substantial reports. The character, the content, and the discussion process of “South Korea-U.S. joint working group for the discussion of THAAD deployment” were not shared with the National Assembly. Even after the decision to deploy THAAD in South Korea, the South Korean government is insisting that this does not require the agreement of the National Assembly. In the case of Seongju, which was decided as the location for THAAD deployment, the residents and the military officials received the unexpected news without any explanation. They were not notified of the negative effects on the environment surrounding the THAAD base and health of the residents. The undemocratic and non-transparent decision of the South Korean government to place THAAD must be rescinded immediately.  

THAAD deployment must receive the consent of the representative body, which in this case, is the National Assembly.

THAAD deployment is directly related to the lives and the safety of South Korean citizens and is a critical matter, which will influence the friendly cooperative relationship with neighboring countries. It may also cost an astronomical amount of money. Therefore, this matter cannot be solely decided by the administrative body; it needs the agreement of the National Assembly. More than anything, the dangerous practice of the South Korean government, which ignores the discussion process and treats this issue like a secret military strategy to avoid the regulation of the National Assembly, cannot be left uncontrolled. If the National Assembly represents all of South Korean citizens, they must stop the one-sided push of THAAD deployment and exercise their right to consent. If the government never asks for the agreement of the National Assembly, the National Assembly must restrain the government’s abuse of its authorities through every measure, such as an investigation in relation to government, an adaptation of the resolution to oppose, and a demand for jurisdiction dispute.  

We are going to start a pan-national peace action to rescind the decision to place THAAD in South Korea. 

We are going to start a pan-national peace action that gathers people from various backgrounds and publicizes the problems of this decision to rescind the decision to place THAAD in South Korea and to stop South Korea from being sucked into the U.S.-Japan missile defense system. We are going to form solidarity to prevent Seongju, North Gyeongsang Province from becoming another victim of state violence, like Pyeongtaek Deachuri or Jeju Gangjeong village. In addition, we are going to fight with all of South Korean citizens, so that THAAD will not be placed in Seongju or any other parts of South Korea. To accomplish this, we are going to actively try to convince and pressure local governments, the National Assembly, and related government organizations and will convey our message to governments and civil societies of neighboring countries, including the U.S. and japan. We will surely punish any abuse of power that undemocratically pushes for the placement of THAAD. Moreover, we are going to form solidarity to facilitate the reconciliation and the cooperation of North and South Korea and to form a peaceful system. The Korean Peninsula should no longer become an explosive warehouse, which is swayed and used by the arms race of the neighboring powers, but should transform as the stepping stone of Northeast Asian peace and cooperation. We are going to actively spread civil resistance and actions for the withdrawal of the decision to place THAAD and for peace in the Korean Peninsula and Northeast Asia. 

July 14, 2016

번역 : 목지수 (참여연대 평화군축센터 자원활동가)