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The National Intelligence Service¡¯s investigation into the case of Song Du-yul is reportedly revealing far more than what he was always suspected of. Song was courted to be a North Korean operative and trained as such in North Korea, where he had an official induction to the Workers Party. He then received large amounts of cash on a regular basis while engaging in activity specifically targeting the South.
He is also said to have regularly sent handwritten ¡°written oaths of loyalty,¡± in which he said he ¡°prays for the longevity of The General,¡± and sent them to Pyongyang. The very reason he met Kim Il Sung personally and was able to rise as far as an alternative member of the Politburo of the Workers¡¯ Party was out of recognition of his activities and loyalty.
The results of the investigation are shocking, but the fact that Song¡¯s whole attitude during this time was what you would expect more from a real operative is what angers the people all the more. When the high-ranking defector Hwang Jang Yeop made allegations about Song, he sued Hwang for defamation of character, and in the time since he has returned here to the South he has ardently denied every fact as it has been revealed.
First he said he ¡°isn¡¯t Kim Chol Su,¡± then he said there are ¡°many Kim Chol Sus.¡± Then ¡°I¡¯ve used the name Kim Chol Su, but I¡¯m not a member of the Workers Party,¡± and later that he ¡°did join the Workers Party but didn¡¯t engage in party activities.¡± Now, many an onion peel later, it has finally been revealed that he is indeed an alternative member of the Politburo of the Workers Party. It will be interesting to see what kind of wild claims will come from those who have defended Song for so long, those who have attacked anyone who has suggested there are problems with him. Those attacks were like a being near a beehive of accusations that their enemies were ¡°old establishment Cold War elements.¡±
The decision about what to do with him Song lies with the prosecution. Early on in the NIS¡¯s investigation, the Minister of Justice asked in advance whether he could be prosecuted ¡°even if he is Kim Chol Su,¡± something that led to predictions that perhaps the current government had already plotted a course of action regarding Song and whether to prosecute.
The prosecution¡¯s investigation and decision on the next move must be done in a manner that is entirely transparent and leaves absolutely no room for suspicion. It must be remembered that the problem of what to do with Song is something that has the potential to lead to major questions about the government¡¯s ideological leanings. Surely any self-criticisms he now makes before the people can be allowed to influence the decision of how he should be prosecuted and how much. But the degree of tolerance he is afforded must not go beyond the healthy level of common sense held by the people.
Oct. 2, 2003
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