* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * LETTER TO THE EDITORS OF: Chosun Ilbo Dong-A Ilbo JoongAng Ilbo The Korea Herald The Korea Times Hankyoreh Shinmun * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Dear Sirs: I have been closely following your reports on the so-called "Dissident Scholar Song" since he arrived in Seoul after 36 years of involuntary exile. If an outsider takes your respective coverage at face value, then Mr. Song is doomed to figure as an evil incarnate that deserves nothing but public bashing. In any democratic society, however, everybody has the intrinsic right to be treated innocent unless proven otherwise - by clear evidence and not rumor mongering. Instead, Mr. Song is notoriously depicted as a villain - "a North Korean agent", "proven member of North Korea's ruling political bureau", "a traitor" and eventually as someone whose pockets have been stashed with huge amounts of money from dubious sources. At best, this borders on voodoo-journalism. In the worst case, however, it demonstrates a shameful kowtow to the so-called intelligence community. Amazingly, such things do happen in the year 2003 in a member state of the OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) whose leadership, for whatever reasons, still sticks to a remnant of the Cold War era in the form of the equally arcane and anachronistic "National Security Law" - vestigia terrent! There are many good reasons for the South Korean authorities and the Korean people to be proud of a son like Song Du-yul. His personal integrity, his consistent commitment toward a democratic and unified Korea in peace and social justice as well as his scientific achievements as a scholar of renowned Professor Juergen Habermas are beyond doubt - not only for me personally, but to many other friends and colleagues in Western Europe alike. Those who show keen interest in hunting Mr. Song down and exhibiting great zeal to damage his reputation on the basis of trumped-up charges and "confessions" have most likely done the same harm to others during the dark years of military dictatorship. It is a deep tragedy that the same (false) allegations that are now hurled against Mr. Song have been directed earlier against Koreas most outstanding contemporary composer, the late Mr. Yun Isang. Sincerely yours, RAINER WERNING, Ph.D., M.A. Author & Lecturer, V-EZ (formerly German Foundation for International Development) Cologne, Germany Email: phwforum@aol.com