Alleged NK Spy May Go Unpunished

Regarding Song Doo-yul, a 59-year-old professor at Germany’s Muenster University, on suspicion of pro-North Korea activities, Minister of Justice Kang Gum-sil said Wednesday that even if he turns out to be Kim Chul-soo, a senior official of the North Korean Rodong Party, the government cannot punish him, sparking a controversy.

The key suspicion of Prof. Song, being questioned by the National Intelligence Service (NIS) from Sept.23, is whether he was Kim Chul-soo or not.

“Even if he is, I doubt if we can punish him since higher officials go to North Korea,” Minister Kang told reporters Wednesday at a luncheon in the Seoul District Prosecutor’s Office.

It is notable that the government may not punish him in consideration of the political situation, even if he turns out to have joined the Rodong Party, which is a different stance from the NIS.

“Although his nationality is German, if he did harm to Korea, it means he violated the National Security Law,” she added.

As her remark stirred up controversies, she ordered Lee Chun-sung, an information officer, to explain that the investigation is being carried out and she meant she was worried that the current situation in which the two Koreas exchange senior officials might affect the issue of punishing him.”

Meanwhile, the NIS questioned Song for the second straight day Wednesday about his alleged connection with North Korea and whether he had ever persuaded Korean officials to go to North Korea.

The NIS allowed him to go home early in the morning and made him come back to the office around 9 a.m. It investigated whether his 10 participations in North Korean academic conferences since the North Korean Social Science Institute invited him were an act to serve the enemy.

As Hwang Jang-yup, the former secretary of the Rodong Party who defected to South Korea in 1997, testified, if Song turns out to be Kim Chul-soo, a dispatched agent of North Korea, the NIS plans to seek criminal punishment.

If Song turns out to have visited North Korea without any other special reasons, however, the government agency may not punish him.

Sang-Rok Lee myzodan@donga.com