Need for education against terrorism

The Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, or ISIS, has grasped the attention of Koreans. An 18-year-old Korean teenager known as Kim has been in contact with ISIS via social media. He has illegally crossed Turkey’s border to join the terrorist group. More recently, ISIS has executed one of its Japanese hostages, stirring an international uproar over its unspeakable violence. In light of such shocking news, the need for concrete antiterror education in Korea must be rightfully considered.

The government is duty-bound to strive for the overall welfare of its citizens. Part of pursuing such an immense task involves the government protecting its citizens from clear and present threats. In other words, both apparent and potential dangers posed against citizens must be taken into account. Governmental education against terrorism focuses on helping individuals identify such dangers, which ultimately contributes to the well-being of each individual.

More specifically, the current incident involving Kim clearly indicates the vulnerability of adolescents against terrorism. They remain prone to manipulative tactics online designed to lure them into terrorist activities. Therefore, antiterror education that takes clear form of intermittent public lessons must be rightfully considered. Firstly, the lessons should focus on identifying and dismissing terrorist-recruiting attempts online. More importantly, however, individuals - especially youngsters - must be able to understand the concept of terrorism, that it represents the most destructive and violent means of upholding a twisted and biased cause.

Such public lessons may seem feeble at first, but the very act of making public the negative repercussions of terrorism should spark firm public awareness against terrorism. In this respect, the government must rightfully play its necessary role.

Choi Zehoon, Assistant editing adviser on Yonsei European Studies at Yonsei University