A lawmaker of South Korea’s ruling People Power Party is pushing legislation to require registration of persons and entities representing foreign interests, in an apparent aim at Xing and the secret Chinese police stations currently under investigation.
Rep. Choe Jae-hyeong, the first-time lawmaker who previously headed the Board of Audit and Inspection, announced Thursday that the legislation which he said would “put the brakes on indiscriminate and illegal” foreign agents operating without the South Korean government’s knowledge.
Under the legislation, those operating on behalf of governments or other organizations outside South Korea would be obligated to register with the South Korean government and disclose their names and other information.
In a release, Choe explained that the legislation would be a South Korean version of the US' Foreign Agents Registration Act. Countries like Australia have similar laws in place that enhance the transparency of the presence of foreign agents and their activities.
In May, South Korean intelligence authorities reached a tentative conclusion that a Chinese restaurant in central Seoul was functioning as a base for covert police run by Beijing, according to a National Assembly source with knowledge of the matter. It was suspected at the time that Xing aided Beijing’s bid to execute its operations here.
According to a report by the Madrid-based nongovernmental organization, Safeguard Defenders, China is allegedly running more than 100 police stations in at least 53 countries with the goal of expanding its influence and forcibly repatriating Chinese nationals.
