Kim Jong Song, a historian, did a presentation on OhMy News concerning South Korean President Moon Jae In's speech, and it's historic similarity to the speech of Korean national independence hero Kim Gu, in Pyongyang in April 1948. Kim Gu, (pen name Bek Baum) Korean anti-Japanese independence fighter during WW II, and former premier of the provisional Korean government, became an advocate for unification of the divided country after the establishment of the separate South Korean government in 1948. Kim Gu's nationalism emphasized that unification was essential for the continued existence of the Korean people, and that party and ideology were secondary. The sequelae of WW II and the exigencies of the cold war obstructed and hindered that vision politically. Kim Gu went to the conference in Pyongyang shortly after the formation of the South Korean state, to encourage the North Koreans including Kim Il Sung, to be friendly to the international community, while struggling for the nationalist goal, because peace would promote the the progress toward unification. The national aspiration of the Korean people was weaker in fact, than the ability of the opposing forces, including the US, to maintain the indefinite separation of the two Korean states. The thesis of the short presentation was that this is no longer the case.
The host and narrator, Kim Jong Song, presented the four letter Chinese aphorism (사자성어) "An open mind promotes common benefit" (개성포공) as the underlying principle of Kim Gu's efforts to encourage and facilitate unification. He said in his speech in Pyongyang, "If we, as a unified people, put our effort toward international friendship and understanding and our struggle, it is certain we can change everything for the better." Essential to Kim Gu's thinking was that unified Korean efforts to build peaceful international relations would contribute to unification efforts. He said, "Be friendly to the international community while we struggle - let's propel ourselves forward." Ultimately, he believed, a unified Korea would contribute in turn, in no small way, to world peace. His ultimate goal in Pyongyang was to prevent the separation of the Korean people, "It is unreasonable if we don't make the object of our struggle to smash this decision to be separate."
Moon's speech 70 years later in Pyongyang, at the Neungrado stadium, in front of a huge crowd, of over a hundred thousand people, revealed a similar structure, orientation, and goal, according to the Ohmy News speaker. President Moon said, "Our people are remarkable. Our people are strong. Our people love peace. Our people must live together. We've lived together for 5000 years, we've been apart for 70 years." Moon pledged that new epoch making change in North South relations would include restoration of the severed arteries of the nation, inducing rapid development, cooperative prosperity, and advancing an independent unified future. Further, "Chairman Kim Jung Un and I, north and south, 80 million people, firmly holding hands will go forward to make a new nation." Also, "I here today, at this place, completely settle the last 70 years of hostility...I propose to again become one, let's step out, one large stride for peace." One can observe the reactions of the crowd oneself and estimate whether the reaction when the crowd roared was an affect or genuine. It appeared from Kim's reaction, that even he was impressed by Moon's oratory and it's impact.
Update 10.3
I was looking at reports of the speech in other news coverage to confirm my translation. I saw this presentation on the SBS live coverage video by the card section in the stands at the Neungrado stadium:
"The entire nation combining it's strength. Let's build a strong united country."
This appeared at the end of Moon's speech. Of course this is something that the North Koreans arranged. It is likely that Kim's sister, Kim Yo Jong was the director of the card section message presentations. Earlier in the speech when Moon commented on the development of North Korea, and complimented the North Korean people on their efforts and courage in achieving such results under adverse circumstances, I noticed Kim giving him a wary look, evidently a sensitive point for him.
The Aljazeera translator, it seemed, had to translate live, which I couldn't actually do but I had the advantage to study the subtitles in hangul, and listen repeatedly. In the case of the Arirang translation there is no excuse really for how they toned down the rhetorical flourishes and missed the context. It's as if one took one of JFK's memorable speeches and turned it into a weather report.
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