Watering down NIS scandal

Voters won’t forgive forces hurting hard-won democracy

Even in Korea where big incidents rapidly disappear into oblivion, some scandals should never be allowed to just fade off the radar.

One such

affair

is the alleged meddling in domestic politics by the state spy agency, in view of the huge effects it could have on the nation’s democracy. Which also is why the governing camp’s efforts to defend suspects and play down the entire case is regrettable - and dangerous.

At first, the conservative ruling party, helped by right-wing media, tried to “mediocritize” the incident, saying most of the top spies have been prosecuted whenever political power changed hands.

This is not wholly wrong, but ignored the difference in the reasons and background: spymasters in liberal governments went to jail mainly because of unwarranted activities concerning North Korea, while those under conservative leaders did so for interfering in politics and influencing on elections.

Some Saenuri Party lawmakers attempted to “trivialize” the scandal, noting only 3.7 percent of about 5,000 online comments uploaded by nine National Intelligence Service agents had something to do with domestic politics or

disparage

d opposition candidates. What these politicians could not - or did not - mention was the prosecution’s admission that the number of political ripples uncovered by police officers was only the tip of an iceberg with the underwater bulk having been erased by the NIS.

Then the ruling party tried to drag the opposition Democratic Party down with it by taking issue with the alleged secretive deal between the DP and the NIS whistleblower. But as we have said before, this is a glaring attempt to cover up a big misdeed with a smaller one by deliberately putting the cart before the horse. In a way, it reflected the Saenuri Party’s

underlying

wish that the whole scandal might have gone unnoticed.

A prosecutor-turned-lawmaker of the governing party showed how far the conservatives can go to

thwart

any challenges to their vested interests. Rep. Kim Jin-tae took issue with the background of his one-time colleague who indicted the former NIS chief Won Sei-hoon for masterminding all these political operations, revealing the latter was a student activist insinuating the young prosecutor was an anti-establishment dissident or even leftist follower of North Korea, another classic tactic of rightists to paint everything in red or blue.

All of this makes even what should be normal pledge to reform the state spy agency by Saenuri appear as just another political scheme.

The overhaul of NIS required concerted efforts from at least three parties - the President, governing party and the incumbent NIS head. Unfortunately, none of the three seem eager to do this job, which should start with sternly punishing those responsible for forcing NIS agents to conduct operations on own citizens instead of foreign adversaries.

Former President Lee Myung-bak should have apologized to people, taking at least moral, if not legal, responsibility for what his longtime confidant did. The

incumbent

leader also ought to break her silence and clearly express her position, as most Koreans believe that President Park Geun-hye is its biggest beneficiary, intentionally or not or even knowingly or not.

More than 10 college student associations are reportedly planning rallies and candlelit vigils to protest to the governing camp’s handling of the scandal, meaning it might develop into a far graver incident than one concerning U.S. beef import five years ago.

President Park must think hard and well.

This is The Korea Times editorial for Friday, June 21, 2013.

※ 다음에 나오는 문제들은 본 사설에 나오는 중요한 어휘들로 구성된 토익, 토플, 텝스 기출 및 예상 문제 입니다.

※ Choose the one word or phrase that best keeps the meaning of the highlighted part.

1. You cannot keep your

complicity

in this affair secret very long.

① involvement

② investment

③ dissension

④ control

2. Dobert

disparaged

Ratbert by calling him a small-minded moron.

① belittled

② described

③ criticized

④ praised

3. Shakespeare's

motive in Hamlet was to criticize the moral climate of his own times.

① fundamental

② ulterior

③ uninterested

④ underneath

4. Even though I had spent hours getting ready for the event, all I took was one little phone call to

my plans.

① frustrate

② encourage

③ support

④ criticize

5. She felt it

upon her to answer the letter immediately.

① derogatory

② insufficient

③ indispensable

④ obligatory

[해설 및 번역]

1. [번역] 당신은 이 일에서의

공모(연루)

사실을 매우 오랫동안 비밀로 해 둘 수는 없다.

[어휘] complicity 공범, 공모, 연좌, 연루(collusion, conspiracy, intrigue, involvement)

[정답] ①

2. [번역] Dobert는 Ratbert가 인색한 저능아라고 부름으로써 그를

무시했다

.

[어휘] disparage 깔보다, 경시하다(belittle, depreciate); 명예, 신용을 손상시키다(discredit) disparaging 깔보는, 경시, 무시하는(belittling)

moron 정신박약자, 저능아 ② 묘사하다 ③ 비난하다

3. [번역] 셰익스피어의 햄릿에서의

근본적인

동기(작품에서의 ‘주제’를 말함)는 자기 자신의 시대의 도덕적 풍조를 비판하고자 하는 것이었다.

4. [번역] 내가 비록 그 행사를 준비하는데 수 시간을 보냈음에도 불구하고, 내가 받은 모든 것은 나의 계획을

좌절시키는

하찮은 전화 한 통이었다.

5. [번역] 그녀는 그 편지에 답을 즉시 해 주는 것이

의무적인

것이라고 생각했다.

[어휘] incumbent 의무로서 지워지는(imposed as a duty), 의무적인(obligatory, mandatory); 현직의, 재직의

① 손상시키는; 가치를 떨어뜨리는 ② 불충분한 ③ 없어서는 안 되는, 필수적인

[정답] ④