Wiretapping in Pyongyang

CIA elite agents Tuck and Franklin are inseparable partners and best friends fighting for their country and world peace. But that counts for nothing when they both date the same woman. They become enemies and fight each other to win her heart. A personal problem brings in the CIA`s high-tech equipment and the world`s top spying skills. The two men install wiretapping systems in the woman`s home, observing her 24 hours a day.

This is the plot of the recent Hollywood movie "This Means War." The partners commit illegal surveillance of a civilian taking advantage of their positions, a bizarre story line intended to make the film more enjoyable. Wiretapping sometimes changes history. The Watergate incident that led to the resignation of U.S. President Richard Nixon started from wiretapping. Even before this incident, the White House had committed numerous secret investigations and wiretaps against political opponents.

In a democratic country, wiretapping can force the president to step down from his post. In North Korea, however, the practice is frequently used by authorities. When South Koreans visit Pyongyang, the hotel room they stay at is full of wiretaps. High-ranking officials also use wiretapping to attack rivals. North Korea’s surprise dismissal of veteran military leader Ri Yong Ho is known to have involved wiretapping. While talking with a fellow official, he complained about the young North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, saying, "His father (Kim Jong Il) didn`t promote market opening because he was unaware of the external situation." Ri`s comments were wiretapped by his rival Choe Ryong Hae, director of the general political bureau of the North Korean People`s Army.

Lee Han Young, Kim Jong Il`s nephew-in-law, said in his autobiography "Kim Jong Il`s Royal Family" that high-ranking North Korean officials even listen to conversations made in bed. Lee was ordered to throw away reports he read at Kim Jong Il`s official residence. While putting the documents into the splicer, he read one part that recorded conversations of high-ranking officials while they were in bed. Listening to a personal conversation in bed with a spouse is much worse than wiretapping. If Ri was simple unaware of this, he is a fool, and if he was aware, it is his fault.

Editorial Writer Koh Mi-seok (mskoh119@donga.com)