Activists Arrested for North Contacts

Activists Arrested for North Contacts. October. 27, 2006 06:59. will71@donga.com jin0619@donga.com.

The Korean National Intelligence Service (NIS) and the first division of public security in the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office (division head Song Chan-yeop) apprehended vice secretarial head Choi Ki-young (41) of the Democratic Labor Party and Lee, a former student protestor, on October 26 on charges of illegal assembly and communication under the National Security Law.

They were noted to have accompanied former committee member of the Democratic Labor Party, Lee Jung-hoon (42) this March, when he met with a North Korean agent in Beijing, China.

The NIS and the prosecution suspected that they met with and received orders from the North Korean agent, and may have conducted activities counter to the national interest upon reentering the country, and are focusing on investigating their past activities in the country.

The NIS and the prosecution also confirmed that the Korean-American Chang Min-ho (44), who was apprehended on October 24, had entered the country in 1981 and visited North Korea three times since 1989, and plan to investigate whether Chang conducted any spy activities.

The NIS stated its confirmation that Lee Jung-hoon, who is a former head of the Three Ideology Committee of Korea University, was brought over to Chang’s side at the private office of A, a politician and former student activist in the 1980’s.

A is a college alumnus of Lee Jung-hoon and worked as a party member during the inception of the Uri Party, and also ran twice as a candidate for the elections for the National Assembly. He is currently studying abroad.

The NIS is not eliminating the possibility that their illegal activity may involve politicians who were former student activists of the 1980s.

But a source from the NIS said, “It is true that Lee Jung-hoon was brought over to Chang’s side in A’s office, but there is no evidence of A committing communist activities.” The exact period when Lee Jung-hoon had such contact with Chang is not confirmed.

The prosecution requested an arrest warrant on October 25 for Chang, Lee Jung-hoon, and Lee, as well as Sohn Jong-mok, a former student activist who accompanied them in their visit to China, on charges of assembly and communication under the National Security Law. Chang was reported to confirm certain parts of the charges, and waived the review of legality for warrant.

Lee stated on October 26 after receiving the review of legality for warrant, “I have not worked in the Democratic party under North Korea’s directions,” and denied the allegations by stating, “the current government is attempting to limit civil activism and create a neo-public security atmosphere.”