Digital Chosunilbo, November 19, 2003

Song Indicted for National Security Law Violations

by Lee Jin-seok (island@chosun.com)

The prosecution indicted on Wednesday Korean-German scholar Song Doo-yul for allegedly serving as a politburo member of the North Korean Workers Party, in violation of the South¡¯s National Security Law. Song was also charged with undertaking pro-North activities, including preaching the doctrine of ¡°juche" (self-reliance) and releasing various academic work and research aimed at promoting North Korean society since his entrance to Workers Party in 1973.

The prosecution also said that Song¡¯s academic works and his research methodology violated Korean law, leading people to ignorantly support North Korea.

The prosecution also accused Song of attempted fraud, by filing suit against Hwang Jang-yop, the former Workers Party secretary who defected to the South in 1997. The suit claimed W100 million in damages for Hwang's insistence that Song was actually Kim Chol-su, an alternative candidate for Politburo office.

Prosecutors are also planning to investigate allegations that Song¡¯s return to Korea was planned in advance, and are to summon members of the Korea Democracy Foundation, the group which had originally invited Song to the South.

Other charges against Song, however, including the charge of receiving money from North Korea, were dropped because the statute of limitations had passed.