Revision Fight Starts

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Revision Fight Starts

Kim Joong-kwon, chairman of the ruling Millennium Democratic Party, set out Friday to win support for its plans to revise the National Security Law, but met fierce resistance. "We cannot shake off the doubt that they are attempting to hurry and revise the law before Kim Jong-il's visit to Seoul,"?said Byun Ung-jun, spokesman for the United Liberal Democrats. "Revise the law and we will see chaos as the North Korean flag flies in Seoul while right-wing groups protest in the streets," the spokesman predicted.

Meeting with some 1,500 members of the Korean Veterans Association, Mr. Kim stressed that the law must be changed. But the veterans were not receptive to the party chairman's message. "The law has the possibility of infringing on human rights and does not reflect this era of cooperation between the two Koreas," the chairman said. But Lee Sang-hoon, the association's chairman, said that ihthe North has only made superficial gestures, without a change in its goal of communizing the South,lg winning a loud round of applause.

Mr. Kim then said that the party would act only after gauging public opinion. The ruling party said Thursday that it plans to push through reforms of major laws, including an amended version of the security law, at the 218th extra session of the National Assembly. The passage of the revised law is not impossible as younger opposition lawmakers reportedly agree that a revision is needed and may well vote across the party line. But neither the ruling party's coalition partner, the United Liberal Democrats, nor the majority of the opposition party, which holds the most seats in the assembly, will readily agree to the partial revision.


by Lee Yang-soo

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