Airtight security needed for G20 Seoul summit

Fears of terrorism are growing around the world ahead of the G20 Seoul Summit set for Nov. 11 and 12. There have been no reports of any attempts to foil the summit so far although members of al-Qaida were allegedly trying to wage a set of terror attacks in Europe, the United States and other parts of the world.

Tuesday’s explosion at a South Korean oil pipeline in southern Yemen was apparently a bomb attack, raising concerns about the safety of Koreans abroad. There is no confirmation about who was behind the blast and what prompted it, although al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) has claimed responsibility for the bombing.

First of all, the Korean authorities should work together with the Yemeni government and other international intelligence agencies to confirm the claim. When al-Qaida is indeed held accountable for the attack, Korea and Yemen have to grasp what motivated the terrorist group to target the pipeline operated by the state-run Korea National Oil Corp.

It is still too early to find a link with the explosion to any intent to foil the G20 meeting in Seoul. However, the attack may serve as a caution against potential terrorism against the host of the summit. Anyone can guess that such a large-scale international gathering might well be an ideal target of terrorist attacks.

That’s why the Korean government has been stepping up security measures to thwart any terror attempts. But, there still exist worries about the potential penetration of terrorists into the country during the G20 summit. In this regard, we want to remind the authorities of an old Korean saying that even 100 people can hardly fend off a single thief. That is, anyone may be an easy victim if he or she is caught off guard.

For the successful hosting of the summit, Seoul is required to strengthen cooperation with intelligence services of other countries to ensure airtight security. No doubt an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. This can be applied to the fight against terrorism. No one can overemphasize the importance of vigilance and readiness to detect signs of terrorism and nip it in the bud.

Long before the G20 meeting, Koreans have felt the urgent need for bolder steps against terrorism. In 2004, Islamic militants kidnapped and murdered Kim Sun-il, translator of an Iraq-based Korean trading firm. In 2007, Taliban rebels in Afghanistan abducted 23 Christian aid workers from South Korea. No one would like to see a replay of such a nightmarish hostage drama that took two lives of the abductees.

Yemen has already emerged as a breeding ground for al-Qaida terrorists. Four South Korean tourists were killed in a bomb attack in the historic city of Shibam, 90 kilometers east of the Yemeni capital Sanaa on March 15, 2009. About three months later, a Korean female aid worker was killed by rebels.

The above mentioned cases evince that Koreans have increasingly become easy targets of terrorism abroad. And there is no guarantee that such tragedies won’t happen again. Thus, South Koreans and the government should not lower their guard against terrorists. At the same time, they should not give any excuse for militant groups to invite terrorism.

It appears that terrorists are trying to outsmart Western governments and deride an international campaign against terrorism. But any type of terrorism can never be justified under any circumstances. That’s why Korea and other countries should do their utmost to win the fight against terrorism no matter how difficult it is.