National Assembly’s Information Committee Votes For Anti-Terror Bill

The National Assembly’s Information Committee held a plenary session on November 14 and unanimously voted for the revised version of an anti-terror bill presented by the government.

If everything goes well, the bill could be passed during this regular session of the Assembly. However, it may go through some difficulties as some of the human rights organizations, including the National Human Rights Committee, are voicing strong opinions against the bill.

The bill stipulates that the nation should hold an anti-terror meeting attended by the head of the National Intelligence Service (NIS) and by each minister and should establish an anti-terror center under the umbrella of the NIS to collect information and take measures against terrorist activities.

The anti-terror center would be allowed to ask for the dispatch of special forces in case any potential terrorist attacks arise, and the head of the center would be able to demand more army forces, if necessary, from the president. But those army forces are only allowed to carry out guarding services according to the Minister of National Defense.

The bill also says that any foreign individuals or groups suspected of being a member of a terrorist group after enough investigations will be denied their rights to fly in and out of the country by the Minister of Justice, and anyone who makes a false report will be sentenced for two years, with a penalty of less than five million won.

The Information Committee also passed a revised version of the NIS staff bill that prohibits the previous and current presidents of NIS from refusing to give permission to any of its staff who needs to make legal depositions in a court, except for the purpose of the critically momentous national interests. The revised bill regulates that the retirement age of the first level staff should be eliminated and that of the second to the fourth levels should be reduced by two years each.

Sung-Won Park swpark@donga.com