Economists continue to struggle—here is the latest from South Korea
where a professor emeritus, actually former dean of the business school
at Yonsei University, one of the top schools in Korea, has been arrested
for his public support for building socialism. The National Security
Law continues to be used to attack any efforts to challenge the existing
system.
The following is from the 8/27 Korea Times, a major conservative
newspaper in Seoul, South Korea. Link is
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2008/08/113_30105.html
Marty
_Economist Nabbed for Praising Socialism; Female Spy Caugh_
By Bae Ji-sook
Staff Reporter
Police arrested a renowned economist for speaking out against
capitalism, which is in violation of the National Security Law. Civic
groups and academics are criticizing the government for suppressing
so-called progressive scholars over false information.
Some are worrying whether these new moves will bring back the ``public
security'' era when police used excessive force against people under the
name of ``keeping the peace'' in the authoritarian era of the 1970s and
1980s.
The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said Wednesday it had arrested Oh
Se-cheol, honorary professor at Yonsei University, and seven other
Socialist Workers League of Korea members on Tuesday. The eight are now
being questioned in Ogin-dong, central Seoul, over whether they have
criticized capitalism and praised socialism as well as other acts
considered benefiting the enemy -- the North Korea.
The police spokesman said Oh, chairman of the league, and others have
released leaflets and other materials denouncing liberal capitalism. The
group's flags were seen at the candlelit protests against U.S. beef
imports, he added.
The investigative body also said Oh openly sought the establishment of a
revolutionary socialist group saying, ``We are the revolutionary forces
that declare the world proletarian revolution publicly and express the
determination to struggle with the proletariat of the world including
Korea in the history of the workers' movement and communist movement in
Korea after 1945,'' on the group's Web site.
However, academia and others are criticizing the police's moves since Oh
is well known for denouncing North Korea. Roh Hoe-chan of the minor New
Progressive Party said, ``Oh and his groups constantly said the North
has been polluted with other ideas in socialism, which all socialists
should `refrain from following'. Shouldn't the group be defined as
anti-North Korean?''
About 10 civic groups held protests in front of the investigation room
saying, ``Why should they be punished for talking about what they
believe in, which is obviously not praising the enemy?''
``Oh criticized capitalism even under the military junta in the 1970s
but was never prosecuted for violating the law. I do not understand the
government's ethics on the issue,'' Prof. Han Sang-hee of Konkuk
University said calling for the government's respect on a variety of
social ideas.
Some speculate the investigation will see a revival of the debate about
whether the National Security Law should be abolished. The law bans all
kinds of praise, promotion or sympathy toward the enemy. In this case,
the enemy is North Korea, experts say.
Since a reconciliation mood swept the Han peninsula in 2000, there were
only two other cases of such groups being involved in violation of the
law. During the Roh Moo-hyun administration, the law was submitted for
abolishment at the National Assembly.
Meanwhile, Suwon District Public Prosecutors' Office said it caught a
female North Korean spy disguised as a defector. According to the
office, 34-year-old Won Jeong-hwa disguised herself as a defector in
China, married a South Korean man and came to the South in 2001. Then
she contacted several military officers and handed over confidential
information to the North.
The office has also arrested a military captain who handed over
information and another man for delivering such stuff to the North.
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