Reaching a clear conclusion on what to do with the heap of illegal eavesdropping tapes found at the home of the man formerly in charge of the National Security Planning Agency's secret eavesdropping team is a difficult predicament. The debate continues, with conflicting issues and needs such as satisfying the people's "right to know," the legitimacy of clarifying what the truth is, and the argument that the law does not permit disclosing the contents of the recordings. It is something that you could argue for a full year and never arrive some middle ground.
Not that the issue should be neglected, either. Already there are rumors in political quarters that certain individuals have come across documentation of the contents of the tapes. You openly hear people say that ultimately it is all going to come out even if the tapes the prosecution has are not made public. And the people are as untrusting of the prosecution's handling of the tapes as ever.
We therefore believe it is time to see the reality of the situation for what it is and finding a doable solution. To begin with, if things are such that the tapes will not be buried permanently even if they try, then it is time to look for a rational way of dealing with the matter while minimizing the unnecessary negative side effects. Secondly, it must be taken into consideration that the majority of the country wants privacy protected but clarification of the truth when it relates to illegal activities that had the potential to shake the country by its foundations. Finally, Whether it wants to or not the question of what to do with the tapes ultimately has to be determined by the National Assembly.
The ruling Uri Party has decided to pursue the passage a "special law" with limited lifespan for clarifying the truth of what happened. At a press conference opposition Grand National Party (GNP) chairwoman Park Geun Hye said "it's no matter if all [the contents of the recordings] are made public." There is reason for hope that depending on how the ruling and main opposition parties work on this it would not be impossible to find points of agreement. One hopes National Assembly quickly finds a solution having seriously considered what would truly be for the sake of the state and the people.
The Hankyoreh, 3 August 2005.
[Translations by Seoul Selection (PMS)]
[Editorial] Hoping For Agreement on Eavesdropping Tapes |
