The news that police are questioning an Indonesian national in Korea about his ties with a terrorist group linked to al-Qaida brought home the message that the country may not be completely safe from terrorist attacks.
According to the National Police Agency, the 32-year-old man arrested at his house in South Chungcheong Province on charges of violating immigration laws and forging documents, is suspected of supporting the Nusra Front, a Syrian branch of al-Qaida. The police found a model M16 rifle, a bowie knife and several books on Islamic fundamentalism at the man’s home.
The man, who entered the country on a forged passport in 2007, uploaded a video clip of himself waving a Nusra Front flag on Bukhansan Mountain on a social media site in April. Last month, he uploaded a picture of himself wearing a cap featuring the terrorist group’s logo standing in front of Gyeongbokgung Palace, the police said.
The recent National Intelligence Service report that about 10 people in Korea have publicly expressed support for the Islamic State and two Korean nationals attempting to join the IS have had their passports canceled is a cause for concern about potential terrorist activities in the country by Korean and foreign nationals alike. Also a reminder that the country needs to stay vigilant about potential terrorists entering country is the revelation that 48 people who were either affiliated with international terrorist groups or categorized as security risks have been arrested and deported since 2010.
Last month, Coex became a site of heightened security following a tipoff that a terrorist group in Mali affiliated with the IS planned to blow up shops at Coex. Although nothing came of the threat and most Koreans did not take the threat too seriously, in hindsight, the public, while they should not have panicked, should have paid more attention to the terrorist threat. In fact, the IS online magazine Dariq has listed Korea as a member of the “crusader alliance,” meaning that Korea is a target for IS attacks.
All indications are that terrorist attacks here are not an unimaginable possibility. Following the Paris terrorist attacks, the government has raised the alert level to “caution,” the second-highest warning in the four-level alert system, and beefed up security in key public areas. The government and the ruling Saenuri Party have also agreed to set aside 100 billion won ($85,900) for antiterrorism efforts for next year.
The government is also pushing for the passage of an antiterrorism bill at the National Assembly. The major stumbling block against an antiterrorism bill’s passage is the debate over who would be in charge of antiterrorism operations. The majority opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy is opposed to putting the National Intelligence Service in charge, arguing that it puts too much power into the hands of the NIS, while the Saenuri Party claims this is the case in most other countries.
The controversy over who should be in charge notwithstanding, it is high time an antiterrorism law is legislated. Korea is not an isolated country, shielded from terrorist attacks launched from abroad or from within. Both the Saenuri and the NPAD should put aside their usual political differences and enact an antiterrorism law that protects the lives and properties of Koreans without compromising their human rights.
