Politics Talk

Suu Kyi's story reminds many Koreans of our own past

Reading about Aung San Suu Kyi speaking to her son after five years, I think of Korea in the 1970s and 80s. Our own opposition leaders were under house arrest, in prison, even sentenced to death. Families could not see them for long periods.

Kim Dae-jung was one of them, and later he became president and won the Nobel Peace Prize. So when people say 'it is hopeless for her', I remember that things can change, even if slowly.

But I also know she is 81, and time matters. I hope the call is the start of regular contact, like her son asked, and not only one photo for the cameras.