DATE= 11/20/97 TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT NUMBER=2-222966 TITLE=SOUTH KOREA / SPY (L-ONLY) BYLINE=KATE WILTROUT DATELINE=SEOUL CONTENT= VOICED AT: INTRO: THE SOUTH KOREAN AGENCY FOR NATIONAL SECURITY PLANNING ANNOUNCED THURSDAY THAT IT HAS ARRESTED SIX PEOPLE, INCLUDING A PROMINENT FORMER PROFESSOR, ON CHARGES OF SPYING FOR NORTH KOREA. KATE WILTROUT REPORTS FROM SEOUL, THE ARRESTS SHOCKED MANY SOUTH KOREANS AND ANALYSTS SAY THE INCIDENT MAY HAVE AN IMPACT ON NEXT MONTH'S PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS. TEXT: KOH YOUNG-BOK WAS A WELL-LIKED SOCIOLOGY PROFESSOR AT SOUTH KOREA'S PRESTIGIOUS SEOUL NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, AND PEOPLE KNEW THAT HE HAD BEEN A NORTH KOREAN SOLDIER CAPTURED BY THE SOUTH DURING THE KOREAN WAR. WHAT NOBODY SUSPECTED WAS THAT PROFESSOR KOH MAY HAVE BEEN SPYING FOR NORTH KOREA SINCE 1961. KIM HONG-SOK, A PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICIAL AT THE AGENCY FOR NATIONAL SECURITY PLANNING, SAYS NO ONE SUSPECTED PROFESSOR KOH UNTIL A NORTH KOREAN COUPLE WAS ARRESTED FOR SPYING LAST MONTH. THEY TIPPED AUTHORITIES OFF TO THE ALLEGED ACTIVITIES OF THE PROFESSOR AND THREE OTHER SOUTH KOREANS, WHO HAVE ALSO BEEN ARRESTED. ONE OF THE TWO SUSPECTED NORTH KOREANS SPIES, A WOMAN NAMED KANG YON-JUNG, COMMITTED SUICIDE A DAY AFTER BEING ARRESTED BY SWALLOWING A POISON CAPSULE SHE HAD HIDDEN ON HER BODY. THE OTHER FIVE ARE IN POLICE CUSTODY. OFFICIALS SAY THE ALLEGED NORTH KOREAN SPIES WERE TOLD TO FIND THE SAFE HOUSE WHERE HIGH RANKING NORTH KOREAN DEFECTOR HWANG JANG-YOP IS LIVING, GATHER INFORMATION ABOUT THE UPCOMING PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION AND COLLECT TRANSPORTATION TIMETABLES. PROFESSOR KOH ALLEGEDLY PROVIDED HIDEOUTS FOR NORTH KOREANS AND EARLIER, AS A SOUTH KOREAN RED CROSS DELEGATE TO 1973 TALKS ON REUNITING SEPARATED FAMILIES, GAVE AWAY GOVERNMENT INFORMATION. MANY SOUTH KOREANS ARE SHOCKED BY THE ALLEGATIONS AND POLITICAL ANALYSTS SAY THE ARRESTS MAY INFLUENCE THE RESULT OF THE DECEMBER 18TH PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION. SHIN MYONG-SOON, A POLITICAL SCIENCE PROFESSOR AT YONSEI UNIVERSITY, SAYS THE ARRESTS WILL PUT THE OPPOSITION PARTY ON THE DEFENSIVE AND COULD INCREASE SUPPORT FOR THE RULING PARTY CANDIDATE, WHO IS CURRENTLY IN SECOND-PLACE. OPPOSITION CANDIDATE AND FRONT-RUNNER KIM DAE-JUNG, WHO IS MAKING HIS FOURTH BID FOR THE PRESIDENCY, HAS OFTEN BEEN CRITICIZED FOR HIS LEFT-LEANING IDEOLOGY. PROFESSOR SHIN SAYS THE INCIDENT WILL AGAIN BRING IDEOLOGICAL ISSUES TO THE FOREFRONT OF THE CAMPAIGN. KOREA'S POLITICAL LANDSCAPE HAS OFTEN BEEN AFFECTED BY CONCERNS ABOUT NORTH KOREA. MANY PEOPLE THINK UNAUTHORIZED EXERCISES BY NORTH KOREAN SOLDIERS INSIDE THE DEMILITARIZED ZONE DURING THE RUN-UP TO LAST YEAR'S NATIONAL ASSEMBLY ELECTION, HELPED THE RULING PARTY KEEP ITS MAJORITY. PROFESSOR SHIN SAYS SECURITY FEARS, SPARKED BY THE 1992 UNCOVERING OF A SPY RING THAT INCLUDED PEOPLE WITH TIES TO KIM DAE-JUNG, MAY HAVE AIDED THE ELECTION THAT YEAR OF THE CURRENT PRESIDENT, THE RULING PARTY'S KIM YOUNG-SAM. LEE JAE-YEL, A SECRETARY IN THE RULING NEW KOREA PARTY'S INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS BUREAU, SAYS THE NORTH KOREA THREAT HAS BEEN EFFECTIVE IN WOOING VOTERS IN THE PAST, AND HE THINKS THE ARREST MAY INCREASE SUPPORT FOR THIS YEAR'S RULING PARTY CANDIDATE LEE HOI-CHANG. BUT LEE JAE-YEL SAYS THAT THE PUBLIC SEEMS MOST CONCERNED WITH THE KOREAN ECONOMY RIGHT NOW, SO THE EFFECT OF THE NEW SPY CASE MAY BE MINOR. STILL, ANALYSTS SAY, EVEN A SMALL CHANGE IN VOTERS' ATTITUDES COULD HAVE A MAJOR IMPACT ON THE ELECTION, IF THE RULING PARTY CANDIDATE CAN DRAW VOTERS AWAY FROM BOTH OF HIS COMPETITORS IN A CLOSE THREE-WAY RACE. (SIGNED) NEB/KW/FC/KL 20-Nov-97 6:26 AM EST (1126 UTC) NNNN Source: Voice of America
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