Crack down on threats to nat`l security

The information that the anti-state spy organization "Wangjaesan" handed over to North Korea included military secrets, such as specifications of offensive weapons against Pyongyang and the drill schedules of South Korean special forces. The organization was controlled by the 225th Bureau of North Korean Workers’ Party, which is in charge of espionage operations in South Korea. Prosecutors wrote in detail in their arraignment what the five suspects arrested for being involved in the anti-state group did.

The suspects transferred a host of military secrets including data on satellite navigation equipment, location systems and South Korean special forces drills and specifications of smart bombs and field guns. The North has issued detailed guidance in case of revolution in the South by designating targets for attack, such as the 17th Infantry Division in the 102nd Regiment, engineering battalions, and the 9th Airborne Brigade. The head of Wangjaesan delivered in 2006 high-resolution photos of the Korean Peninsula taken from a U.S. satellite, a laptop computer and three USB memory cards to the head of the espionage operation team at the 225th Bureau, who was in Beijing at the time. The suspects also handed over information on the South Korean president, presidential candidates, and ruling and opposition party members. The information is so detailed that speculation is rising that South Korean officials, politicians and figures in various circles were implicated. Prosecutors said they wrote the arraignment solely based on North Korea`s orders, reports the suspects submitted to the North, and the document of their alliance to the North while excluding subjective judgments.

Since municipal and provincial government heads affiliated with the progressive Democratic Labor Party of South Korea and party members have come under investigation, the labor party is hindering investigation by blasting prosecutors for what it called pressure on progressive figures with national security issues to tip the scale in favor of the ruling camp. The same party, however, did not expel members involved in the pro-North Korea group Ilsimhoe, which transferred national secrets to North Korea in 2006. If the party did nothing wrong, it should undergo a probe in a stately manner. The rejection of the investigation is tantamount to admitting to being the host of pro-North Korea forces.

Those opposing the construction of a naval base in Gangjeong, Jeju Island, also include Democratic Labor Party members. Jeju residents in favor of the base`s construction said, “Outside forces are instigating objections to the base`s construction, which is needed for national security.”

Kim Yeong-hwan, a researcher at the North Korean Democracy Network who defected to the conservative side after serving as a leader of a pro-North Korea group supporting North Korean juche (self-reliance) ideology, said, “If the key figures of the South Korean juche group on the fringes of the Democratic Labor Party enter politics or key government organizations through consolidation of opposition parties, a situation (threatening the existence of the Republic of Korea) could occur.” South Korean spies who act as North Korea’s informants and pro-North Korea forces can no longer be tolerated. What is at stake are the security of the Republic of Korea and the safety of its 50 million people.