Interesting article from Asia Times
Seoul's double-talk on reunification
By David Scofield, Jan. 4, 2005
Accusations of pro-North Korean sympathies, sit-ins, civil disobedience and the general chaos that have surrounded the Our Open Party's (OOP's) moves to abolish the National Security Law (NSL) may be just the beginning, as the expected abolition of the law could well presage a wider process to amend South Korea's constitution to conform with the OOP's (also known as the Uri Party's) pro-North Korea policies.
The NSL was initially designed to thwart attempts by North Korea to ideologically co-opt South Koreans, and it includes prohibitions and stiff penalties for those who extol the virtues of, accept payment from, and offer support to the North Korean system. Of course, supporting North Korea or even advocating North Korea's political beliefs is certainly no longer taboo in South Korea. Indeed, pro-North Korea activities, under the guise of pro-reconciliation initiatives, now receive popular support and substantial government largesse. That the NSL is an anachronism in South Korea is obvious, but the changes will likely not stop there. The OOP expects to repeal the law this month, though the opposition is fighting it tooth and nail.
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South Korean manufacturers can hardly contain their excitement these days at the prospect of using North Korea labor at a mere $57.50 per month ($7.50 of that reportedly goes to the Dear Leader's cognac fund) - the negotiated rate at the recently opened Gaeseong Industrial Complex in North Korea. Gaeseong, a symbol of Korean economic brotherhood, is just across the border in the North, where South Korean firms have established light manufacturing firms using North Korean labor. But since these workers are legally "South Koreans", as specified by the ROK constitution covering the entire peninsula with extended legal jurisdiction, then would it not be illegal to pay them salaries amounting to less than a tenth the nationally defined minimum wage? http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Korea/GA04Dg01.html
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