[김도연의 취재진담] Radiologist with camera and loudspeaker for Myanmar

Jung Beom-rae, 55, was at the scene of the’Saffron Revolution’ in 2007 when the people of Myanmar resisted the military. At the request of the production crew of MBC’s international current affairs program’W’, he recorded the scene as a local coverage coordinator, and recalled his 1980s student movement from the tears of the Myanmar people who longed for democracy.

As a radiologist, he settled in Myanmar in early 2000, leaving behind his future-proof life in Korea. Despite being the poorest country, Myanmar people, who had a warm heart, and their family in Korea, who were in love with the environment, started a new life in Myanmar.

He runs a PC cafe and a travel agency, running the road to success as a businessman. However, Jung Beom-rae’s camera, which captures the resistance of the people of Myanmar against the military, changed his fate 180 degrees. The moment he fled to Bangkok to escape the military from Myanmar was like a scene in a movie, as Korean media reported in 2007. He was a’blacklist’ monitored by the military, who informed the situation of the Myanmar protests through the Internet community’Miyabiz’.

Currently working as the director of the radiology team at Siheung Central Hospital, Mr. Jeong is co-representing the Myanmar Democracy Network. Myanmar Democracy Network is an organization formed by Myanmar residents in Korea and Korean civic groups after the military coup on February 1st. “The people of Myanmar do not hesitate to bleed,” said Jeong, who met at Siheung Central Hospital on the 12th. “The character is different from the democratization movements of 1988 and 2007. At that time, the people of Myanmar were isolated, but now SNS is connecting the whole world. Myanmar people will never back off.”

Myanmar’s military denied it and initiated a coup after the Democratic Peoples League (NLD) led by Aung San Suzi won the general election in November last year. According to the United Nations on the 15th (local time), at least 138 protesters were counted to have died after the coup. “The Myanmar residents in Korea are in a desperate situation to want to intervene in the ROK military,” he said. “The UN and the international community should immediately initiate a’protection responsibility’ (R2P) to sanction the military and intervene.

-The military initiated a coup on February 1, the opening day of the Myanmar National Assembly. Did you expect this coup led by General Min Aung Hlaing?

“I was also surprised to hear the coup d’état in the world of civilization. We called Moto Soo, a human rights activist who is confronting the military government in Myanmar, and talked about what we should do. After that, a one-person protest was held in front of the Myanmar embassy in Korea. People in Myanmar offered support, including making pickets, saying that they would go to the Myanmar embassy in Korea and the Chinese embassy to protest. (Before the military coup) The Korean branch of the ruling party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), formed a committee to overthrow the military dictatorship in Myanmar in solidarity with Myanmar workers, democratic movement activists, and international students living in Korea. After that, it formed a Myanmar democracy network in solidarity with Korean civic groups. On the 3rd, we gathered in front of the National Assembly and demanded that the Korean government and the National Assembly recognize the Federal Parliamentary Representative Committee (CRPH) as a diplomatic partner in Myanmar.”

-What is the Federal Congressional Representative CRPH?

“CRPH is a civilian government with various political parties as well as members of the ruling ruling Democratic Peoples League (NLD) elected in the general election last November. As representatives, 15 people are working against the military. Minorities in Myanmar are also participating. Rohingya also supports this and is on the side of the rebels. Our media reports like a battle between an unorganized and scattered people and armed military forces, but the forces of the rebels are united together. Korean journalists should show greater interest in CRPH.”

-What is the Myanmar Democracy Network doing?

“The first role is to promote the struggle for democracy in Myanmar to Korea. In addition, the provisional government, CRPH, is promoting a movement to inform Korea and recognize it as a diplomatic partner. The Ambassador of Myanmar to Korea is also demanding that they follow the CRPH instructions, not the military rebels. Currently, the Ambassador of Myanmar is appointed by the democratic government of Aung San Suzi. Currently, the people of Myanmar are engaged in the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM). It is a peaceful demonstration against rebels in a military coup. We are helping the movement. The difference between the democratization movement in Myanmar in the past and the current CDM lies in the collective actions of public officials. The CDM is empowering as officials go on strike. Will it continue to strike only if he preserves his life as a public servant? We collected 250 million won in donation and delivered it to Myanmar officials.”

-Is that possible?

“It can be sent by bypass. Yesterday (March 11), Myanmar friends contacted me. It was news that the contents of the public arrangement of Somotu and Jan Naing Toon, who are engaged in Myanmar human rights activities in Korea, were broadcast on Myanmar’s state broadcaster MRTV. The two are co-representatives of the Myanmar Democracy Network. It is accused of illegally delivering donations to public officials who participated in the civil disobedience movement. They said they wanted to report it because they were wanted because they instigated a civil war with the domestic impurities in Myanmar. That is why the resistance of public officials is important. Most public officials working at railroads, airports, transportation, post offices, banks, etc. are participating in the civil disobedience movement. Myanmar is now stopped due to a strike by public officials. Almost all Myanmar citizens are taking part in the protests.”

-The people of Myanmar are calling for intervention in the international community.

“The coup forces armed with guns are aiming and firing at the protesters. Thousands are being held illegally. It is the same situation as in Gwangju in 1980. Responsibility to protect (R2P) refers to the responsibility of a country’s government to protect its citizens from crimes such as genocide and war crimes. The international community can intervene in any state that abandons it. Currently, the CRPH is said to be negotiating with militants from ethnic minorities. When combined with the minority ethnic armies, it is estimated to be about 100,000. There are about 400,000 Myanmar government troops, and in the worst case a civil war could occur. The international community must promptly resolve the situation. Right now, the coup forces are just vested powers that have no justification for confronting foreign powers. In the general election in November last year, the NLD recorded 83% of the vote, which is more than when it took power in 2015. The current military is just a group of interests that dominate Myanmar’s economy and pursue private interests.”

“The situation in Myanmar can be regarded as almost similar to the situation at the time of the Gwangju Democratization Movement. Because the military has tight control over the media. As the 386 generation, I felt a sense of duty, and an arrest order was issued to record it as a video record.” This is an interview with Jeong’s Yonhap News in September 2007. Jeong, who fled to Thailand to escape the military from Myanmar, was unable to find’My Love Myanmar’ again. In Myanmar, where he first visited at the age of 34, he discovered his future and spent valuable time as a successful Korean citizen and businessman as a Myanmar reminder.

-I was on the scene during the 2007 Myanmar’Saffron Revolution’. It seems that my feelings crossed when I escaped.

“At the time, the protests were triggered at a rally of monks who opposed inflation. Soldiers assaulted the monks. The scale of the assembly increased as the people participated to protect the monks. On September 24, 2007, the scale of the protest was the largest. Seeing the people crying at the rally reminded me of the days of the student movement. The heart was conveyed that it was not a waste of my life to democratize my country. There was a great sense of mission that the country should also record the field. Afterwards, a Myanmar security officer with whom I was acquainted said,’Your name is repeatedly mentioned at security meetings’. It is reported that there are foreigners taking pictures. When the troops were put in earnest, the Korean president of Myanmar told me to take refuge in Bangkok for a while. I was told that the military could arrest or kill me. After fleeing to Bangkok, my wife contacted me, and it was news that a Japanese reporter named Genji Nagai (a Japanese photographer for AFP) had died at the site where I was always reporting. I thought,’These guys are really killing people.’ Afterwards, the Mainichi Newspaper reported that it was revealed that the Myanmar military authorities issued a secret order to shoot a video camera holder. Myanmar home was house searched and surveillance continued. The child and wife also returned to Korea afterwards. If I think about it now, I’ve rolled up my rice bowl. He made a lot of money and expanded his business. However, it was ruined (laughs)”

-Many people knew that the military rule was ended with the victory of the National Democratic Peoples Alliance (NLD) in 2015, led by Aung San Suzi.

“No matter how strong the military power is, I didn’t know that it would overturn the elections that gathered the will of the people like this. With the introduction of the democratic government in 2015, national wages have risen. The middle class began to form, and as foreign capital gradually came in, the people became aware of what capitalism was. Of course, because the military dominated the economy, the growth was not large, but the people had something to protect. Most of all, the Internet is connecting the world in real time, and it was difficult to predict that a coup would really be enforced. That’s why the military was also impatient with its domestic position in the corner.”

-There are loud voices of suspicion of China behind Myanmar’s military.

“Everyone is suspicious of China. Chinese President Xi Jinping and Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited Myanmar, and now the Chinese Ambassador of Myanmar is a strong Chineseist. China is in a position that cannot give up Myanmar’s geopolitical position in order to secure safe energy. Neither I nor the people of Myanmar hate imperialist countries intervening in domestic affairs. However, the people of Myanmar think that foreign powers are better than the military government. The United States has a responsibility to actively work on the Myanmar issue to defend democracy.”

-What can Korea do to the Myanmar people’s resistance?

“The Myanmar residents in Korea also want to intervene in the ROK military. It is so desperate. Myanmar people knelt in front of the Korean Embassy in Myanmar and said,’Be strong. He also appealed,’Please save me.’ I was so angry when I saw the video. The strength of the Republic of Korea has grown beyond comparison with the past. Due to the Korean Wave, Myanmar people like Korea. Above all, Korea is a model country for democracy. He won democracy in 1987 and even led down the incumbent president through candlelight vigils. Why are we diplomats not responding to the petitions of the people of the host country? Wouldn’t it be time to come out of the mission and get a letter from the people of the host country? They are fighting for their own lives… . The president and the prime minister are sending direct messages such as condemning messages and urging the release of Aung San Suzi. We have translated this into Myanmar and advertised it. A message like this is a great comfort to the people of Myanmar.”

-How do you forecast the civil disobedience movement of the people of Myanmar?

“The people of Myanmar never hesitate to bleed. I am preparing for death. I will never back off. They don’t want to return to the era of military dictatorship. Myanmar’s 20s and 30s have a taste of democracy and what democracy is. There will be a big battle between the Myanmar people and the military. We must help them. We must not forget Myanmar.”

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