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| Activists who have been staging protests against South Korea's deployment of F-35A stealth fighters enter a district court in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, Monday, to face allegations that they received orders from North Korea. Yonhap |
By Nam Hyun-woo
The Moon Jae-in administration and the liberal ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) are facing a new political threat, after a group of activists accused of espionage was found to have contacted Moon and the party before he was elected as President.
The conservative opposition bloc is already labeling this incident an "espionage scandal," demanding an explanation from the Moon government and suggesting that the issue could cause a stir in the upcoming presidential election slated for next march.
On Monday, the Cheongju District Court issued arrest warrants for three of the four activists who are based in the city, on charges of violating the National Security Act.
The activists were turned into the prosecution while protesting South Korea's deployment of F-35A stealth fighters. The National Intelligence Service (NIS) and prosecutors allege that they have been organizing the protests after receiving orders from North Korean spies in China and Cambodia.
Korean conservative dailies, the Chosun Ilbo and Dong-A Ilbo, reported that the NIS and prosecutors had secured a USB memory device containing documents on the anti-F-35A protests, which the activists had shared with operatives from a cultural exchange bureau of Pyongyang's Workers' Party of Korea, which is known to be in charge of espionage operations in South Korea. The memory device also contained their loyalty oath to North Korea's first leader, Kim Il-sung, the papers reported.
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| An F-35A stealth fighter / Courtesy of Lockheed Martin |
The political influence of this allegation has been snowballing after it came to light that the four activists worked for President Moon's election camp in 2017 as labor issue advisers, and were in regular contact with a number of heavyweight lawmakers of the ruling DPK.
It was also revealed that one of the four activists, who avoided arrest, held a fundraising campaign to run newspapers ads calling for the impeachment of then-Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl, who is now a presidential contender for the conservative main opposition People Power Party (PPP).
The PPP is now exerting pressure on the Moon administration and the DPK.
"The public couldn't have imagined that there were espionage activities in 21st-century South Korea, and that spies have reached out to political circles," PPP floor leader Kim Gi-hyeon said, demanding an explanation from the presidential office concerning the allegation. "This shows how national security has weakened under the Moon administration."
Yoon said, "This is a very serious case in which organized espionage activities are still happening in Korea," and, "With this many people having been detained, the case seems to have clear evidence, and is thus indisputable."
Former lawmaker Jang Sung-min, who is running in the PPP primary, wrote on his Facebook page that, "This is Moon Jae-in's spy adviser-gate," slamming the current administration.
Regarding the conservative opposition bloc's comments, a Cheong Wa Dae official said Friday, "It is a claim not worth mentioning," and did not explain further, in an apparent bid to prevent the incident from becoming a major controversy ahead of the presidential election next year.
"It is possible to say that this espionage allegation could rattle the looming presidential election," said Shin Yul, a political science professor at Myongji University.
"Currently, the PPP is criticizing the ruling party for some of its members attempting to postpone the South Korea.-U.S. joint military exercises, after North Korean leader Kim's sister, Kim Yo-jong, demanded that Seoul do so. It would be an influential tactic for the PPP to link this criticism with the espionage allegation, and use both to try to unite conservative voters," Shin said. "It depends on how the PPP will capitalize on this issue, and there is no doubt that it is a serious issue."
He added that the ruling party and Cheong Wa Dae will want to prevent this issue from expanding further, with the rationale that one side's election camp is always crowded with various types of people, thus there is always a fair chance that any allegation could become a matter of heated dispute.
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