According to the disclosure, the Seoul District Police Office conducted an exam among 176 policemen in charge of security three times in April, May and September under the pretext of beefing up the security investigation forces.

The exam was aimed at infusing the poisonous provisions of the "Security Law" including charges of espionage, provision of facility, special escape, general infiltration, praise and encouragement, etc. into policemen.

The Police Agency highly appreciated this and called on 15 other local police offices to apply the experience.

A member of Solidarity for Progress, protesting against this, declared that it is an anachronistic move to intensify the invocation of the law by conducting even the exam at a time when the repeal of the SL should be debated with the "presidential election" at hand.

A lawmaker from the opposition Unified Progressive Party blasted the police for working hard to gain results by investigating people on charges of violation of SL for the mere reason that they raised issues concerning the south-north exchange or carried articles on the north under the Lee regime.

The lawmaker queried, "Is it not the intention to prevent the emergence of a future-oriented regime to intensify the investigation into those people charged with violation of SL at a time when the inter-Korean relations remain severed?"

He urged the police to halt the exam farce at once.