The shocking terrorist attacks in Paris have quite naturally put Korean authorities on edge. Government officials have been holding a series of meetings to assess the situation in France and elsewhere in the world and take necessary steps.

Likewise, politicians are busy calling meetings to discuss the latest terrorist attacks that are believed to have been orchestrated by the Islamic State militant group. The National Assembly held a meeting of the Foreign Affairs Committee Tuesday and the ruling party will hold a joint meeting with the government Wednesday. The parliament will also call in senior intelligence officials next week.

Given that no place is safe from terrorism, it is natural that authorities and politicians should hurry up their evaluation of the nation’s readiness to prevent and cope with terror attacks and take necessary actions. 

Moreover, we live under constant security threats from North Korea — which has a long history of terror attacks against the South, like the midair explosion of a civil airliner and the bombing of the presidential entourage during an overseas trip.

Potential dangers from other groups, including the IS, should never be underestimated only because we are not a core member of the U.S.-led coalition fighting the jihadist group, and we are a little farther away from its major target countries.

In September, the IS included South Korea in its blacklist of 62 countries, calling them members of a new “crusader coalition.” The National Intelligence Service disclosed last month that it was monitoring five “IS sympathizers” in the country and that some had attempted to smuggle ammonium nitrate, which is used to make explosives, out of the country.

The spy agency also said it nullified the passports of two Korean nationals who attempted to join the IS. This followed the shocking discovery in January that an 18-year-old Korean man had voluntarily joined the IS.

This is only a portion of the evidence showing that Korea too can become a target of terrorist groups like the IS or al-Qaida, which is why all the talk involving government officials and lawmakers should come up with concrete actions that can help the country better cope with terror threats.

Their first action should be the long-delayed legislation of integrated counterterrorism bills. It is hard to believe that this country still lacks a comprehensive legal code on terrorism.

This contrasts with countries like the U.S., U.K. and France, which legislated antiterrorism laws after the Sept. 11 attacks in 2001.

In Korea, the earliest antiterrorism bill was drafted in 2001, but the bill and all those which followed it have fizzled out. One of the major stumbling blocks has been opposition from liberal political parties and civic groups, which insist that the bills may infringe upon human rights and civil liberties.

The oppositionists, among other things, point out that the bills — including the five that have been submitted to the current parliament — call for the NIS to take a commanding role in antiterrorism efforts, which would increase the possibility of the spy agency abusing its power. 

Their concern is not totally groundless, given the intelligence agency’s past, which is dotted with cases of abuse of power, including illegal wiretapping, surveillance on civilians and politicians and interference with domestic politics.

But opposing counterterrorism bills over concerns about the agency’s possible deviation is akin to not giving a soldier in combat a firearm for fear of him using it against a fellow soldier rather than the enemy. The government and political parties, including the opposition, would be able to review the bills again to make sure the NIS not commit wrongdoings again. 
President Park Geun-hye, visiting Antalya, Turkey, for the G20 meeting, said that her government would closely cooperate with the international community to eradicate terrorism.

The first thing she should to do after returning home is starting work with the Cabinet and the parliament to legislate counterterrorism bills, without which the nation will remain vulnerable to terrorists and will be unable to provide and get necessary international cooperation. As she stressed, no one is safe from violent extremism.