This warning generated substantial attention, with over 23,000 searches registered within a few days.Īs part of its proactive strategy, the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs held a roundtable discussion with the tourism industry on June 22, deciding to include the new law in safety briefings for tourists upon their arrival in China.
It advised South Koreans residing or planning to travel to China to be cautious as “unexpected issues” might arise due to the differences in legal systems and concepts between the two countries. The South Korean embassy in China issued a cautionary notice on its official website on June 26, warning about the expansive scope of the CCP’s new anti-espionage law. One Korean expatriate, wishing to remain anonymous, told the outlet, “With the current strain in South Korea–China relations and a tense atmosphere in China, we can’t predict how this law might be leveraged against us.” While this data is typically innocuous, the fear of being wrongfully accused of espionage has led to these drastic measures. It also empowers the regime’s authorities to gain “access to data, electronic equipment, information on personal property, and also to ban border crossings.”Ī June 28 report from Korean news outlet Hankyoreh highlighted how Korean expatriates, in an effort to avoid potential prosecution, are purging business-related statistical and analytical data from their offices and computers. For example, the scope of subjects of stealing secrets is expanded to “other documents, data, materials, and items related to national security and interests.” The newly revised anti-espionage law expanded the definition of espionage, making it broader and vaguer.
In response to the perceived threat, South Korea has taken preventative measures, including widespread governmental alerts and media advisories, even going as far as advising against non-essential travel to China. Tensions are mounting as South Korea braces for the enactment of the new “ Anti-Espionage Law” that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is poised to implement on July 1.
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