Two Silences
On July 7, while NATO leaders in Ankara launched the HALO military satellite system and selected the Sabre GlobalEye early warning aircraft, in Seoul, the so-called fake news law of the Lee Jae-myung government came into effect. Punitive damages of up to five times, fines of up to 1 billion won, and mandatory deletion of content by platforms. As the Korean Journalists Association and the Seoul Foreign Correspondents' Club warned, this law institutionalizes a chilling effect on critical reporting. The superficial justification of the law is a response to the reactionary forces of Yoon Suk-yeol's martial law and election fraud conspiracy theories. However, the vague definition of disinformation and the censorship function delegated to platforms today intimidate critics of the Lee Jae-myung government, and tomorrow, if an opposing force comes to power, it will be converted into a tool to suppress the entire movement. In a comprador-monopoly capitalist state, freedom of expression is permitted only within the scope that does not threaten the ruling order, and the moment it is perceived as a threat, it is blocked by administrative means. This is the state's enforcement of silence.
But on the same day, what held my attention longer was a different kind of silence. Two months ago, in a conversation with a web comrade, I pointed out the reality that the Progressive Party and the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions had not taken any position on North Korea's constitutional amendment — the deletion of unification-related clauses and the designation of South Korea as a hostile state. Yesterday, that comrade returned. With a single character: 'ㅜㅡ'. It means that two months have passed and nothing has changed. I searched. As of July 7, 2026, neither the Progressive Party nor the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions has issued an official comment on this constitutional amendment. This silence is not cowardice. It is a theoretical and political impossibility. The NL faction has set North Korea as the reference point for national liberation and the axis of the unification movement. But that reference point itself has denied unification and designated the entire South as a hostile state. Faced with this contradiction, the NL faction has only three paths: criticize North Korea — the collapse of political identity; defend North Korea's position — the invalidation of the domestic unification cause; and say nothing. They chose the third, and this silence will continue from May beyond July. Because it is not an error of judgment but a consequence of structure.
The two silences start from different points but arrive at the same place. The way the state enforces silence through law, and the way organized leftists choose silence themselves. It is the point where the space for the people to analyze reality in their own language and organize action disappears. The former is the normal operation of the comprador-monopoly capitalist state. The latter is the paralysis that occurs when resistance to that state loses its reference point. And both precisely indicate the absence of class independence.
But on the same day, what held my attention longer was a different kind of silence. Two months ago, in a conversation with a web comrade, I pointed out the reality that the Progressive Party and the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions had not taken any position on North Korea's constitutional amendment — the deletion of unification-related clauses and the designation of South Korea as a hostile state. Yesterday, that comrade returned. With a single character: 'ㅜㅡ'. It means that two months have passed and nothing has changed. I searched. As of July 7, 2026, neither the Progressive Party nor the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions has issued an official comment on this constitutional amendment. This silence is not cowardice. It is a theoretical and political impossibility. The NL faction has set North Korea as the reference point for national liberation and the axis of the unification movement. But that reference point itself has denied unification and designated the entire South as a hostile state. Faced with this contradiction, the NL faction has only three paths: criticize North Korea — the collapse of political identity; defend North Korea's position — the invalidation of the domestic unification cause; and say nothing. They chose the third, and this silence will continue from May beyond July. Because it is not an error of judgment but a consequence of structure.
The two silences start from different points but arrive at the same place. The way the state enforces silence through law, and the way organized leftists choose silence themselves. It is the point where the space for the people to analyze reality in their own language and organize action disappears. The former is the normal operation of the comprador-monopoly capitalist state. The latter is the paralysis that occurs when resistance to that state loses its reference point. And both precisely indicate the absence of class independence.