[The Editors' Verdict] National Security Law, the Minimum Safeguard for the Nation

[Asia Economy] On the 20th, the Justice Party lawmakers led the proposal of the "National Security Law Abolition Bill (2110236)."

On the other hand, in the liberal democratic camp, a petition opposing the abolition of the National Security Law is currently underway in the National Assembly. For the time being, the confrontation between maintaining or abolishing the National Security Law is expected to continue.

The argument for abolition is a wrong action, considering that the National Security Law was the last institutional device protecting the liberal democratic system that upheld the constitutional spirit and identity of the Republic of Korea.

In fact, the National Security Law has protected and will continue to protect Korea's freedom, democracy, human rights, prosperity, and peace. In this regard, the National Security Law is an institutional device that all of us must cherish and protect.

If the National Security Law is abolished, the groups that would welcome it with open arms are the Kim Il-sung family and the "hidden hands" within Korea, the Kim Il-sung scholarship students and their followers.

The reason they advocate for the abolition of the National Security Law is simple. They see the National Security Law as the greatest obstacle for North Korea to establish a communist ideological stronghold in Korea and complete the communist revolution, as well as the biggest hindrance to pro-North, pro-communist, and espionage activities within Korea.

Of course, the Kim Il-sung scholarship students in Korea also intend to shake off the shackles of the National Security Law and roam freely. Therefore, North Korea and these groups advocate for the abolition of the National Security Law and the dismantling of public security (repressive) organizations whenever given the opportunity.

It is somewhat understandable that North Korea, which must complete communist unification, advocates for the abolition of the National Security Law. However, the anti-freedom, anti-democracy, and anti-unification behavior of the pro-North and pro-communist forces, disregarding the benefits of freedom, is utterly incomprehensible.

The Kim Il-sung scholarship students and their followers define the National Security Law as an evil law suppressing freedom of thought and expression, an anti-democratic evil law oppressing democratic patriots, and an anti-unification evil law hindering unification, and thus call for its abolition.

However, their claims are blatant lies and propaganda slogans. Our constitution broadly recognizes freedom of thought, conscience, and expression.

However, it minimally regulates the thoughts and expressions of the Kim Il-sung scholarship students and their followers that reject, deny, and destroy the umbrella of the Republic of Korea's liberal democratic system.

In other words, the National Security Law is applied restrictively only when freedom of thought and expression is directly or indirectly related to pro-North, pro-communist, or espionage activities.

It is the minimum national protection device that blocks the actions of Kim Il-sung scholarship students or their followers who threaten or attempt to destroy the survival of the state. In fact, the only people inconvenienced in daily life because of the National Security Law are the Kim Il-sung scholarship students and their followers.

Moreover, the National Security Law serves as the last bastion that blocks North Korea's attempt at communist-led unification of the South and completes a unified Korea under our leadership based on liberal democracy, making it a stepping stone for free unification.

For these reasons, the National Security Law is a law protecting the liberal democratic system that maintains our identity and the continuity of the state.

Therefore, abolishing the National Security Law is a self-harming and treasonous act that damages our identity and threatens the continuity of the state.

No country on earth tolerates behavior that threatens or destroys its national identity.

This seems to be a peculiar phenomenon occurring only in the Republic of Korea. Especially, although they claim freedom of thought and expression, the fact that they follow North Korea, where the worst freedom of thought and expression is severely controlled, is a clear self-contradiction.

Furthermore, when pointing out and demanding correction of the reality where the swamp of communist sorcery is spreading and deepening, they are labeled with Cold War-era colorism, and according to the camp logic they created, they still dream of the revival of the "Kim Il-sung dynasty," making their colorism ongoing.

Now, we must engage in an ideological struggle to protect our identity, liberal democracy. This struggle to prevent the abolition of the National Security Law is the starting point of the ideological struggle.

Through this struggle, we must prevent the contamination of liberal democracy and block the misconception of accepting Juche ideology under the umbrella of liberal democracy.

Only then can healthy value debates among conservatives, moderates, and progressives be possible under the umbrella of liberal democracy. The liberal democratic camp's effort and unity are urgently needed.