Korea's police agency warns lawmakers to tread carefully on National Security Act repeal
Published: 18 Dec. 2025, 19:47
Updated: 18 Dec. 2025, 22:43
![Members of civic groups hold a press conference in front of the National Assembly building in Yeouido, western Seoul, on Dec. 1, calling for the repeal of the National Security Act. [NEWS1]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2025/12/18/a20b7156-e635-4136-b911-1ad99fe401a6.jpg)
Members of civic groups hold a press conference in front of the National Assembly building in Yeouido, western Seoul, on Dec. 1, calling for the repeal of the National Security Act. [NEWS1]
Korea’s national police warned lawmakers this week to move carefully on a liberal-led bill to repeal the National Security Act, arguing that the country still faces persistent threats from North Korea.
A document submitted by the National Police Agency to Suh Bum-soo, a conservative People Power Party (PPP) lawmaker and opposition floor spokesperson on the National Assembly’s Public Administration and Security Committee, says the state "must ensure its survival and the safety of the public amid persistent security threats from North Korea."
It added, "The repeal of the law requires careful consideration."
The caution comes as liberal lawmakers push to scrap the decades-old law, which targets pro–North Korean activity and has long been criticized by rights advocates as overly broad. Thirty-one lawmakers from the Democratic Party, the Rebuilding Korea Party and the Progressive Party introduced the repeal bill on Dec. 2.
The police took over counterintelligence investigative authority from the National Intelligence Service in December 2020, during the Moon Jae-in administration. Police officials said the repeal would require “careful consideration,” especially as North Korea continues what they called subversive efforts.
The agency has delivered similar warnings before. In October 2020, then–DP lawmaker Lee Gyu-min introduced a bill to repeal Article 7 of the National Security Act, which penalizes the praise or incitement of anti-state organizations. In November that year, police warned the National Assembly’s Legislation and Judiciary Committee that “North Korea continues to explicitly pursue communist unification and has not changed its subversive activities, requiring careful review.”
“North Korean propaganda could spread indiscriminately throughout society through social media, where information circulates rapidly,” police added. "There is no adequate mechanism to block its influence, particularly on immature youths whose values are still forming.”
![Statues of former North Korean leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong-il in North Korea are pictured on Dec. 17, in this image from Korean Central Television. [KOREAN CENTRAL TELEVISION]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2025/12/18/0327ca91-54a1-4890-bbf5-9e50e9c9e221.jpg)
Statues of former North Korean leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong-il in North Korea are pictured on Dec. 17, in this image from Korean Central Television. [KOREAN CENTRAL TELEVISION]
Security-related cases linked to North Korea continue to occur, according to police data. From 2021 through November this year, police referred 151 suspects to prosecutors for violating the National Security Act.
Among them, 15 allegedly acted under North Korean instructions to collect or leak military or state secrets. Authorities charged 67 suspects with praising or inciting anti-state organizations, while 10 faced charges related to forming or joining pro-North Korean groups. Another 29 were charged with illegally entering or exiting North Korea without authorization.
Supporters of the repeal argue that most provisions of the National Security Act overlap with existing criminal law. DP lawmaker Min Hyung-bae said the bill rests on the view that “most provisions of the National Security Act can be replaced by the Criminal Act.”
Article 7 has long drawn criticism for restricting freedom of expression. In August 2004, the National Human Rights Commission of Korea recommended abolishing the law, while the UN Human Rights Committee and several international human rights groups have repeatedly called for revisions.
But opposition to the repeal remains strong. As of 6 p.m. Thursday, about 120,000 comments opposing the bill had been posted on the National Assembly’s legislative notice website.
"Repealing the National Security Act amounts to dismantling the minimum safeguards that protect the state," said Chang Young-soo, a professor emeritus at Korea University's School of Law.
"Countries such as Britain, the United States, Germany and France all maintain concrete laws to protect national security, and it is hard to understand why South Korea, which remains in direct confrontation with North Korea, would voluntarily abolish its own," he added.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY KIM JEONG-JAE [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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