[Special series- part 4] South Korea’s National Security Law

Posted on : 2012-05-21 15:56 KST Modified on : 2012-05-21 15:56 KST
May 18 debate provides forum for progressives and conservatives to trade views on the North

By Kim Kyu-won, staff reporter
“We must delete articles that can be abused in the short term, and abolish [the law] in the long term by linking it to our relations with North Korea.” This was the conclusion reached during the day’s discussion of the National Security Law (NSL).  
Korea Institute for National Unification President Kim Tae-woo was the first to raise his hand. “In a situation when North Korea only recently sank the Cheonan warship and shelled Yeonpyeong Island, we must maintain the National Security Law,” he said. “I can accept discussions of amendment that have the potential to be misused and abused, such as those on praising [North Korea] or non-disclosure. We must regard North Korea as having two faces, as a dialogue partner of the same race, and as our main military enemy.”
Yonsei University professor Moon Chung-in responded positively to this, saying, “The regulations of the North’s Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK) still refer to unification under communism, and the North is demanding abolition of the NSL. Since the National Security Law was created due to the presence of an adversary, it can be abolished later on together with the WPK regulations. But highly problematic articles such as [those related to] praising [the North] and non-disclosure should be abolished first.”
Seoul National University professor Yun Young-kwan, who served as a foreign minister in the Roh Moo-hyun government, also said, “Because North Korea retains its intention to harm the stability of South Korean society, the NSL in some respects contributes to social stability in South Korea. We must first amend problematic articles [of the law] such as [those related to] infiltration and escape, meeting and communication and non-disclosure. The law can be abolished after trust has been built up between South and North Korea.”
Leading journalist Kim Yeong-hui of the JoongAng Ilbo, who chaired the discussion, also said, “I was surprised that those on the progressive side talked about maintaining the NSL.”  
An argument also took place over the productive capacities and military expenditures of South and North Korea. Kim Tae-woo said, “The claim that the gap in GDP between South and North Korea is large is based on economies in normal times. In wartime, when logistics and oil imports stop working properly, South Korea would be weakened and North Korea would hardly be affected. We need to consider the fact that North Korea possesses nuclear weapons, an asymmetrical form of force.”
Lee Jong-seok, a senior researcher at the Sejong Institute, retorted, “GDP in consideration of prices is 80 to 100 times greater in South Korea than in North Korea, and military expenditure has been around 10 times greater of the last 20 years.” Government statistics indicate that, as of 2010, South Korea’s GDP and military expenditure were 42 and 32 times higher than those of North Korea, respectively.
 
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