S. Korea pushes to expand spy law

SEOUL, Nov. 3 (Yonhap) -- Seoul is pushing for new legislation to combat industrial espionage by allies and countries other than North Korea, officials said Monday.

Espionage is currently defined by South Korean law as "spying for enemy states,"
which in effect bars spying only from North Korea. The government seeks to
expand the range of espionage charges to include general information-gathering
which benefits other countries, including allies, Justice Ministry officials
said.
"Around the world, the line between enemies and allies is getting blurred," said
Kwon Ik-hwan of the ministry's criminal law division. "We've come to recognize
the need to prepare for possible leaks of national secrets to other countries as
well, not just North Korea."
The motion is expected to be submitted to the National Assembly as part of a more
comprehensive revision of the Criminal Law by early 2011. South Korea currently
punishes spying within the boundaries of the National Security Law, under which
pro-North Korea activities warrant a maximum penalty of death.
The anti-communist law views the Korean Peninsula as being in a state of war, in
recognition of the fact that the Korean War ended in 1953 with an armistice, not
a formal peace treaty.
A female North Korean spy who came to South Korea under the guise of being a
defector was recently sentenced to five years in prison for exchanging sexual
favors in return for military intelligence, which she relayed to operatives in
China. The woman, 35-year-old Won Jeong-hwa, dropped an appeal against the court
ruling on Oct. 21.
Kwon said the spying legislation is a preemptive measure, and that he was not
aware of any noteworthy espionage cases that did not involve North Korea.
Technology leaks by Chinese hackers, however, have recently emerged as a major
problem for Korean enterprises.
Under the Criminal Law revision, the ministry also seeks to create new
legislation to reflect contemporary social and economic trends in the country.
Surreptitious filming of others' private lives and spying for corporate interests
are to be made criminal offenses with the revision, officials said.
The Justice Ministry is also preparing to amend the country's five-decades-old
Civil Law. Among the changes scheduled to be completed by 2012 for parliamentary
approval is the lowering the legal adult age from 20 to 19.
hkim@yna.co.kr
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