The global situation has changed drastically since the 11 September attacks. The US-led alliance attacked Afghanistan and Iraq as part of their counter-terrorism operatives. Accordingly, the international community was divided into the pro-American al...
The global situation has changed drastically since the 11 September attacks. The US-led alliance attacked Afghanistan and Iraq as part of their counter-terrorism operatives. Accordingly, the international community was divided into the pro-American alliance supporting the war on terror suspect countries and anti-American forces. In favor of the US-led military operation in the Middle East from the beginning, the Korean government sent troops there in order to strength the traditional Korea-US alliance and contribute to global counter-terrorism efforts.
Under the circumstances, a Korean translator Kim Sun-il was taken hostage and beheaded by militants in Iraq, increasing fear and awareness of Korean people on terror. Greatly shocked by the killing, Korean people seem to be skeptic to the government's ability to responding to the case.
The Foreign Ministry was unaware of the incident even 30 days after Mr. Kim was taken hostage. Amid allegations that the Foreign Ministry was informed of the incident several days before it made it public, most of Korean people began to recognize that guns of terrorists could also be leveled at themselves. However, Korea and its people had long been targets of terrorist attacks before the Kim Sun-il incident.
To date, a total of 592 cases of terror attacks targeted at Korea have been reported since 1954. About 92% of the attacks, or 542 cases, were committed by North Korea. So we had been exposed to terror attacks by North Korean spies and militants long before the presence of fears over Islamic terrorist groups.
The militant group allegedly responsible for the death of Mr. Kim demanded the Korean government to pull its troops out of Iraq. However, the government has political and economic problems preventing it from doing so. Despite the recent growing reconciliatory mood between the South and North, we cannot disregard such security issues and threats of terror attacks by North Korea.
Now it is time to review our counter-terrorism manpower and resources. The government submitted a bill of the Anti-Terrorism Act with 27 articles and supplements to the National Assembly on November 2001. However, the National Human Rights Protection Committee and the Korean Bar Association objected to the enactment of the Act. On March 11, 2002, some lawmakers of the Grand National Party held a closed experts meeting at the Intelligence Committee of the National Assembly to emphasize the necessity for the Act with based on a modified version. On November 3, 2003, the New Millennium Democratic Party also followed the bipartisan initiative through holding public hearing sessions by altering some of the original bill of the Act.
Finally, on November 14, 2003, the bill was passed unanimously at the Intelligence Committee of the National Assembly, but it still does not become effective since it was held back by the Enactment and Judiciary Committee of the National Assembly and automatically scrapped with the closure of the 16th National Assembly on May 31, 2004.
With respect to the bill automatically scrapped at the 16th National Assembly, this study is intended to put together any implication and measure as follow through questionnaire surveys of general people and counter-terrorism staffs.
First, they are worried about that terror attacks may be organized and executed against unspecified persons including those in the street.
Second, they are aware that possible attacks by North Korean agents and Islamic terrorists could target public transportation means and mega stores frequented by innocent citizens.
Third, they explicitly classify the purposes of terror attacks into three. The purposes of terror attacks by North Korea are mainly about politics and ideology, while those of terror attacks by the Islamic world about international politics and religion.
Fourth, most of the people do not trust counter-terrorism measures arranged by the government. Even some of the counter-terrorism task forces point out problems in the government's measures, necessitating urgent overhaul of the counter-terrorism organizations.
Fifth, reviews and updates of collection of information on security and intelligence, investigation, organization and management systems are made as soon as possible, as pointed out by the counter-terrorism task forces.
Sixth, Korean people feel necessity for the Anti-Terrorism Act and the far-reaching governmental agency responsible for all the issues associated with terrorism. As mentioned above, our people have higher awareness and concern over terrorism, which demonstrates that terror is no more stories within films like 007 series.
The reality we face drives us to enact the anti-terrorism act and establish a responsible governmental agency. In particular, it must be noted that the act is designed to prevent any terrorist attacks, not to punish any suspect.
To this end, the government must strengthen its abilities and preparations for guarding the territories and people from any possible attack by expanding the authority of coordinating intelligence activities and investigations. Also, it has to arrange schemes to prevent human rights from being infringed in the course of investigations on suspects.
As well, the counter-terrorism task forces must focus on review and update of their jobs and manuals, enabling to respond swiftly to emergency. So they need to strengthen coordination activities.
At present, both the ruling and opposition parties push forward with a bipartisan initiative of passing another bill of the Anti-Terrorism Act from July to November 2004. Again, we must check whether the bill is either a bad law infringing on human rights or necessary to protect the people from terror attacks. Through public hearings and consultations with related agencies on counter-terrorism, we must seek effective and well-organized measures.