You first declined the post, but later accepted it. Why?

I would have naturally rejected the offer if it had been made before. After receiving the offer recently, however, I went to Seoul to meet some of my friends and told them about it. I expected that they would praise me for refusing it, but on the contrary, they encouraged me to go and help the GNP. They said that if I have any intention to support the GNP, I should go help the party to prevent it from being reduced to the third-ranked party [in terms of National Assembly seats held].

Why do you support the GNP?

I believe that sound conservatism should be kept alive in our society as an alternative power, even if it cannot be a practical power. Because of this belief, I have decided to help the party restore its integrity.

Do you think you can achieve this by working on the nomination committee?

I know who I'm going to be working with on the committee. If the roster is fixed, I think I can achieve what I want.

Do you feel any pressure as a novelist about participating in politics?

I'm participating in politics as a citizen rather than as a novelist. A bird cannot fly with one wing. If only liberal and reformist forces win in the general election, our society will suffer as a result. Reforms are always necessary, but basically a society without conservatism can also have problems.

Novelist Hwang Suk-young has decided not to join the Uri Party's nomination committee.

Hwang called me today and tried to dissuade me from working with the GNP. But my decision will not change, because it originates in the belief that the conservative political group is facing a crisis now, and if it is not re-born, the group will not survive.

Do you think the crisis facing the GNP is that serious?

Now is a time of ugly war. People are swayed by phenomena and images rather than by the true nature of things, and broadcasting, as a powerful medium, dominates those images.

Are you concerned about the impact this political activity might have on your career as a novelist later?

I didn't want the post at first because of that concern, but it's too late now. I have a feeling that I have just been pushed away here. I hated myself being defined like this, but after an array of disputes and controversies, they already defined my image and even handed down some sort of practical punishment on me. But I made up my mind to take on the burden.

What political significance does acting as a nomination committee member have?

It is similar to political comments. I joined the committee instead of contributing political columns to newspapers. It will have only a temporary significance.

Do you have any intention to enter politics in earnest?

Not at all. Never. (Kim Kwang-il, kikim@chosun.com )