"Security Law" in South Korea Should Be Scrapped: KCNA Commentary

Pyongyang, December 4 (KCNA) -- A vestige of the era of fascist dictatorship still remains in south Korea.

That is just the "security law" instituted by traitor Syngman-Rhee on December 1, 1948.

The law, which became effective in south Korea with the national division, has been invoked to commit bloody crimes for the past 70 years.

Under the "security law", a converted version of the hideous "Maintenance of the Public Order Act" of Japan, the sworn enemy of the Korean people, 118 000 south Koreans were arrested, detained and killed and many legitimate political parties and social organizations were forcibly dissolved in 1949 alone.

SL, stipulating that the compatriots in the north are "enemy" and justifying the policy of confrontation with them in its every article, reduced the whole south Korean land into a dark slaughter house of fascism and human rights abuses.

SL was reinforced into a lethal evil law during the period of the "yusin" dictatorship, only to perpetrate a series of high-profile inhuman crimes stunning the international community like the case of the People's Revolutionary Party, the case of the National Democratic Youths and Students League and the case of eastern Berlin.

The remnants and descendents of the "yusin" regime, under the pretext of preserving security of their "regime" and in a bid to stay in power, invoked SL to eliminate the progressive forces like the Unified Progressive Party and the Teachers' Union after branding them as forces "following the north" and "pro-communist" forces. This hysterical madness shed light on the fascist colors of SL.

SL, a hideously evil law against human rights and national reunification never to be found anywhere in the world and on any page of the world history, is just a rusty dagger left by the dark age and waste of history.

The evil law, which should have been already scrapped, exists in south Korea even now that an era of national reconciliation, peace and prosperity has been greeted. This cannot be allowable as it is against the aspiration and demand of the south Korean people for national reunification.

Nevertheless, the conservative coteries including the "Liberal Korea Party" are insisting that SL is not an obstacle to the improvement of the north-south relations, terming it a "safety device necessary for the south Korean people at the minimum." They are desperately twisting the reality.

After all, they are seeking to turn everything back to the past era where conservatism lorded it over the public to strangle democracy and injustice stamped out justice and conscience.

Democracy and human rights can be truly ensured in south Korea and a wide avenue toward the improvement of the north-south relations be paved only when SL regarding the people as targets of suppression and punishment is scrapped.

Anyone may fall victim to SL anytime as long as the evil law remains in force and the conservative traitors go scot-free.

There is no reason for SL to exist now that a new phase of reconciliation and unity has arrived at the north-south relations.

When the funeral bell of the old era tolls, its old evil law is bound to be buried.

The history of the Korean nation and the public mindset urgently call for the SL abrogation. -0-