By Kang Hyun-kyung
Be prepared for an attack by North Korea through social media.
This was a warning issued by a ruling party lawmaker, who says the goal of such an attack, if realized would be to influence the Dec. 19 presidential election in the way it sees to be best for its interests.
Saenuri Party Rep. Yoon Sang-hyun said the North may encourage its sympathizers to post and circulate propaganda material to influence the election.
Several pro-North Korea groups overseas have already reportedly used Facebook, Twitter or YouTube to disseminate statements issued by the Stalinist state.
Social media is only part of the campaign waged by the North.
Compared with five years ago, the lawmaker said the number of statements or reports that the North has released on South Korea’s presidential election through its state media has tripled.
Early this year, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un ordered an all-out effort for election interference ahead of the April 11 National Assembly elections and the upcoming presidential election.
Last month, North Korea’s mouthpiece media ran a story about independent Ahn Cheol-soo soon after the software millionaire held a news conference to announce his presidential bid.
Its state-controlled media has launched a war of words over the presidential race by denouncing Rep. Park Geun-hye and the ruling party.
Last week, President Lee Myung-bak urged the Stalinist state to stop such endeavors immediately.
During a forum held in Seoul in early April, Kang Chol-hwan, a North Korean defector, said the late North Korean leader Kim Jong-il deeply regretted Pyongyang’s lack of action regarding South Korea’s presidential election in 2007.
Kang predicted that the North would ratchet up efforts to influence the election in an attempt to favor a candidate who will seek engagement.
In the past, both conservatives and liberals here played their version of a North Korea card to influence election results.
Conservatives relied on “red scares” or security tensions to drum up support from voters by reminding them of the security reality facing the nation.
In October 1997, a group of South Korean officials, including an agent from the National Intelligence Service, met a North Korean official in Beijing to ask the North to launch a shooting attack near the demilitarized zone to raise a security alert among southerners ahead of the presidential election back then.