Concerns still linger on anti-terrorism law

Members of liberal civic groups call on the government to scrap the anti-terrorism law during a rally in Gwanghwamun Square in central Seoul, on March 8. The protesters claim the law will give the government legal grounds to place ordinary citizens under surveillance. / Yonhap

By Kim Bo-eun

Citizens are worried over the authorities’conducting surveillance on smartphones and all types of private communications since the passage of the controversial anti-terrorism bill, March 2.

The legislation allows the National Intelligence Service (NIS) to collect the personal information of those deemed suspected terrorists on all kinds of telecommunication platforms, including phone records, mobile messages and even financial transactions.

Moreover, the government and the ruling Saenuri Party are discussing another bill against cyberterrorism with a similar scope of government surveillance.

Critics express concerns that these moves leave open the possibility of the spy agency abusing the law to monitor civilians. Previously, the agency could only spy on those suspected of engaging in pro-North Korea activities.

Lawyers, social activists and citizens say the new law will give the spy agency monitoring power ― just like the “Big Brother” from George Orwell’s novel “1984” ― under the name of fighting growing threats from North Korea.

The Lawyers for a Democratic Society issued a statement on March 3 denouncing the passage of the bill, stating it would file a constitutional appeal.

“Our stance is to have the anti-terrorism law scrapped,” Kim Ji-mi, vice secretary-general of the group, told The Korea Times. “We will ask the Constitutional Court to review the law, and are currently are examining requirements.”

The group said surveillance of citizens has been justified under the name of preventing terrorism.

“The greatest problem of the law is that there is no objective definition of key terms such as ‘terror’ or ‘potential terrorists,’ which means the scope with which the law can be applied is unlimited,” Kim said.

“Now there are legal grounds for the NIS to collect personal information on citizens.”

Because of the vague terms in the law, not just people involved in activities critical of the government but anyone could become subject to surveillance, civic groups say.

The People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy (PSPD) says the law may infringe on the fundamental right to freedom of expression.

“When people become upset, they should be able to relieve their anger by criticizing or cursing, but if someone was to say ‘I am so mad I could burn down Cheong Wa Dae,’ then he or she could become subject to police questioning,” PSPD Secretary-General Park Kun-yong said.

“The fact that people have to live in a suffocating society, in which they cannot express their feelings and thoughts, causes actual harm, although invisible. This could be equivalent to or even greater than losing property or sustaining physical injury.”

This has instilled a sense of discomfort and fear among citizens, prompting discussions to stop using Korea’s most widely used mobile messenger KakaoTalk and migrate to foreign platforms. Rep. Lee Jong-kul of the main opposition Minjoo Party of Korea (MPK) said Friday the counterterrorism law has resulted in a cyber migration of 400,000 users.

Nam, 23, a student at Korea University, said his friends have said on social media that they have joined Telegram, a Germany-based mobile messenger service.

“I was against the passage of the anti-terrorism bill,” he said. “Because of the current administration’s oppressive stance on anti-government activities, I believe the law can limit people’s freedom of expression.”