Korean "red alert" -- national ID cards proposed

[Declan McCullagh <declan@well.com>]

> Date: Sun, 16 Nov 1997 15:04:32 +0900
> From: Ko Youngkyong <frontist@member.sing-kr.org>
> Subject: RED ALERT of Privacy in Korea!
>
> Dear Comrads,
>
> About the Electronic National ID Card project,
> situations gets rough in South Korea.
> The ruling party, Shin-han-kuk Dang, and some politicians
> of conservative Opposition party has passed related laws
> on ID card project on November 13 in Domestic Affair Session.
> It was a sudden terror to us and to the privacy of Korean people.
> In Korea, for a law to be passed, it must be passed in the partial
> session of National Assembly and be finally determined by
> whole conference(I don't assure whether it correct or not).
> Whole conference will be held on November 17.
> It may be difficult to stop passing of the law, though we lobby
> some M.P.s.
> If the law should be passed, we will and must begin a long,
> harsh struggle to the denial movement of ID card.
> We think it may take several years like Australia.
> We, Task Force against Electronic ID Card, and privacy advocates
> in Korea are planning demonstrations within 2,3 days and some other
> actions of expressing protest. We will do whatever we can.
>
> Keep your eyes on! Please inform your fellows of this crisis of privacy
> and help us in every way you can.
> It's RED ALERT of privacy in Korea.
>
> -----------------------------------------------------
> Korean NGO Task Force against Electronic National ID Card
> -----------------------------------------------------
> Homepage URL:   http://kpd.sing-kr.org/idcard/
> E-mail : frontist@member.sing-kr.org
> Phone : +82-2-855-1913
> Fax : +82-2-858-1913