Pro-North Korean Group Praises North’s Military-First Politics

The South Korean headquarters of National Alliance of Youth and Students for the Country’s Reunification (SNYU), which is classified as an “anti-state” organization, posted an article that praises the military-first politics of North Korea on Wednesday, according to sources. In response, the National Intelligence Service (NIS) and the police are reviewing whether it breaches the National Security Law (NSL) and whether to investigate the case.

The first page of the 35-page article, titled, “20 Questions and Answers about Military-First Politics,” reads, “Military-first politics protect the lives of our people and helps us move forward to achieve national unification. The SNYU, which has realized the power of the military-first politics, submits military-first politics educational material for young students from all walks of life to make use of it.”

The article was posted in chorus on the websites of pro-North Korean youth groups such as the Federation of Korean University Students’ Councils (FKUSC) and The Alliance of Youth and Students for Practicing the South-North Joint Declaration (AYSND).

Generally, pro-North Korean articles are found on Internet bulletin boards that provide anonymity to posters. However, the article was posted by the SNYU without concealing the names of the posters. In fact, the article was posted on the website of the AYSND under the name of Yoon Gi-jin, the chairman of the SNYU, who has been on a wanted list for the past nine years on charges of the violation of the NSL.

The writing, which provides explanations of the 20 questions about military-first politics, even cites articles of the North`s Rodong Sinmun from last year.

The following is explanation about the North’s military-first politics according the article.

“The military-first politics started with the anti-Japanese armed struggle and provided Koreans the power to clinch victory against U.S. imperialism after the restoration of independence. In the military of a capitalist society, the only thing that soldiers do everyday is count their remaining days of service. However, in North Korea, soldiers learn realities that they cannot even learn from college. At the moment, Iran and Venezuela’s Chavez are reinforcing their armed forces influenced by the North’s military-first politics. Unlike military dictatorships, military-first politics are politics for the people that protect the interests of the people and guarantee a happy life. Although the government authorities have been recently oppressing various activities that introduce military-first politics, we must actively engage in a fight to dismantle the National Security Law.”

The NIS and the police believe that although the article pretends to be introducing military-first politics, it is actually glorifying them. Therefore, they will review whether it violates Article 7 of the NSL which bans praising and encouraging North Korea and decide whether to launch an investigation in earnest.

ditto@donga.com