Broadcaster Heo Ji-woong criticized the situation after the state of emergency, calling it “the ruling party's shift to the far right.”
On the 19th, Heo Ji-woong posted on Instagram, “Everyone witnessed the same scene in real-time. At first, it was a crime. A few days later, someone whispered that it was a political issue. A few days later, people began to openly speak as if it were a matter of support and opposition. The media, which treats it as a fair stance to cover it with a 5:5 ratio and record the score, has increased. Eventually, it began to look less like a crime and more like a political dispute,” seemingly referring to the state of emergency that occurred on December 3 of last year and the situation that followed.
Heo Ji-woong also mentioned the concept of the mob from philosopher Hannah Arendt's book “The Origins of Totalitarianism,” stating, “According to her, the mob is a surplus force filled with despair and hatred. The Nazis claimed to understand their sense of alienation. They said your misfortune is due to a conspiratorial worldview centered around Jews, and we have a solution to crush it. They were ecstatic. Among them, especially the young people who wanted to act under a single powerful ideology, wanted to become expendable, and were ready for glorious sacrifice volunteered for the Stormtroopers (SA). They terrorized society through looting, assault, murder, and arson.” He added, “The way a disgraced Mao Zedong incited young Red Guards to regain power was the same. Later, when they had already seized power and were no longer useful, the Stormtroopers and Red Guards were purged.”
Heo Ji-woong stated, “People on the extremes of the far left and far right will not change their positions no matter what. The majority of the middle class chooses based on momentary emotions. When the mob fervently cheers, and Goebbels incites from a podium with actors arranged, the middle class, who listened to speeches on radios supplied by the Nazis, inevitably followed.” He remarked, “I do not believe that the rioters in the court are originally supporters of the leader of the insurrection. They are captivated by the state of emergency itself. From the perspective of the Constitution, it is an illegal state of emergency. From the perspective of the mob, it is a messianic solution.”
Finally, Heo Ji-woong warned, “In that context, the current shift of the ruling party to the far right is not surprising. They have willingly become a mob party, risking the survival of the nation for their own. It may seem like an easy path in the short term, but in reality, it is not a path at all. It is annihilation.”
Earlier on the morning of the 19th, supporters of President Yoon Seok-yeol violently stormed the main entrance and glass windows of the Seoul Western District Court, causing damage to property and facilities as news of an arrest warrant was issued. Upon hearing this news, Heo Ji-woong posted on social media, stating, “There seems to be specific sects or churches at the center of the rioters. A thorough investigation is necessary.”
He also stated, “It has been 47 days since those who tried to take away our freedom have suddenly expressed concern over liberal democracy, holding security and the economy hostage in Hannam-dong and the National Assembly.” He criticized, “At this moment, the signboard of the Republic of Korea's court is torn down and lying on the ground. The footprints of the rioters are all over it.”
[Kim So-yeon, Star Today Reporter]
