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Return to Seoul of prodigal son, accused of spying for North, is political test for Roh

A German-based South Korean dissident, who has been accused of spying for North Korea, has said that he quit Pyongyang's communist party and pledged to honor Seoul's anti-communist security law.

South Korean-born Song Du-yul, a sociologist who is now a German citizen, is taken away by unidentified prosecuters in Seoul on Oct. 22.
REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon
Song Du-Yul, who returned from Germany last month after 37 years in exile, said this week that he would give up his German citizenship in an apparent bid to avoid being expelled.

"I'm going to secede from the [North's ruling] Workers' Party," Song said at a press conference in central Seoul. "I also pledge to live alongside all the people in this country by abiding by the constitution of South Korea.

"Above all, I came to live here. As a person who has returned to his homeland, I will take up my responsibility to this land and give up my German citizenship," said Song, adding that he was ready to accept any consequences of such an action.

He declined to say whether he reclaim his South Korean nationality. He said only that he was hoping "to continue to work for inter-Korean reconciliation and democracy."

Song's promise to leave the Workers' Party is seen an effort to obtain leniency from the prosecution, which is set to punish him on spy charges. He is being investigated for pro-North Korea activities in violation of Seoul's National Security Law and for his alleged ties with the Workers' Party.

Song admitted that he had joined the Workers' Party in 1973, became a Politburo member under a pseudonym and took up to $100,000 from the North Korea, apparently to recruit South Korean college students to the communist state.

But South Korea's left-of-center leader, Roh Moo-Hyun, pleaded for Song's leniency in a televised speech to the National Assembly Monday. The speech sparked strong criticism from conservative civic groups and opposition parties.

"I think it is meaningful to show the openness, capacity and tolerance of South Korean society to the world in the era of reconciliation and tolerance among nations, although strict legal punishment may also be important," Roh told lawmakers.

"How to deal with Song is a crucial test for President Roh's ideology," said Lee Jong-Sook, a 37-year-old restaurant owner in Seoul. Roh lifted a 37-year-long entry ban for Song, dismissing the conservative opposition's criticism.

"Roh's ambiguous ideological stance has fueled the ideological confrontation in South Korea," he said.
East-Asia-Intel, www.eas-asia-intel.com, October 17, 2003
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