Spying for North

Authorities should wage war on enemies within

It is shocking to discover that a two-star army general is under investigation for having allegedly handed over military secrets to North Korea. The prosecution and the Defense Security Command (DSC) said Friday that the suspect, identified only as Maj.-Gen. Kim, leaked classified information to a former South Korea intelligence agent recruited by the North.

According to investigators, the information is related to ``Operational Plan 5027" formulated by the Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command (CFC). The plan is sensitive as it was drawn up in preparation for a war on the Korean Peninsula. The leak of such a secret might deal a severe blow to the South's military defense and national security.

Also surprising is how the ex-intelligence agent had come to serve as a spy for North Korea. The suspect, known as Park, was reportedly approached by North Korean agents in China, while doing business there after quitting his job at the National Intelligence Service in the late 1990s. He was one of those who tried to block then-opposition leader Kim Dae-jung from winning the 1997 presidential election by circulating false information about the candidate's unconfirmed connection to the North.

First of all, the case shows that the spy agency has done a poor job of managing and monitoring former agents to prevent them from leaking classified material or betraying the nation for their personal interest. Park is suspected of spying for the North in return for money. The army general had also received an undisclosed amount of money from Park for leaking the operational plan and other military secrets between 2005 and 2007.

If Kim and Park are found to have spied for the North, the authorities should take stern action against them to prevent a recurrence of such a crime. They are also required to take radical measures to establish a more watertight security system to foil any attempt by the North to obtain classified material ― civil or military ― from the South. For this, the government should ensure discipline in the military. It is also important to raise the awareness about national security among military personnel, intelligence agents and bureaucrats.

The case came after the North's sinking of the South Korean warship Cheonan in the Yellow Sea on March 26 that killed 46 sailors. It also followed the arrest of a female North Korean for allegedly stealing confidential information from the National Policy Agency. It's imperative to beef up our efforts to fight the enemies within as North Korean agents cannot penetrate the security system of the South if no one collaborates with them.