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By Lee Min-hyung
The government's plan to have an honor guard for North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is causing a strong reaction here. Conservatives are calling the decision "ironic" for South Korean soldiers to stage a ceremony for the leader of the South's de facto enemy.
The Ministry of National Defense unveiled Wednesday the plan for the three branches of the armed forces ― army, navy and air force ― to form the honor guard in front of the Peace House, the venue for Friday's inter-Korean summit, in the southern half of Panmunjeom.
However the defense ministry, citing geographical difficulties, said it will scale down the event as the summit venue cannot accommodate a full-scale military honor guard.
But conservatives here are expressing vehement opposition to the move. As of 2 p.m. Thursday, more than 1,000 people had signed a petition against the honor guard on the website of Cheong Wa Dae.
"The event will not enhance the morale of South Korean soldiers," an online user, who identified himself as a former military officer, commented on the petition. "The decision is a humiliation to 600,000 South Korean soldiers who serve their military duty to protect the South from possible attack by the regime."
"It is absurd for the South Korean military to hold an honor guard for a third-generation dictator of the regime at a time when soldiers from the South carry out military operations to fight against North Korea," he said. "A large number of North Korean citizens have fallen victim to the harsh dictatorship of the Kim dynasty."
The ministry said the government scheduled the event to pay respect to the thawing inter-Korean relations and commemorate the hosting of the summit between President Moon Jae-in and Kim.
It said in a statement: "We decided to hold the honor guard for Kim to revive inter-Korean trust and establish a lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula." The ministry added the decision came as part of the government's hopes to hold a successful inter-Korean summit.
This will be the first time that a North Korean leader is greeted by South Korean troops.
Former North Korean leader Kim Jong-il welcomed former late South Korean Presidents Kim Dae-jung and Roh Moo-hyun with honor guards during summits in Pyongyang in 2000 and 2007, respectively.
