• Korean Security Journal
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• no.20
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• pp.95-117
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• 2009

Ever since the 9/11 terror attack, all the world has perceived the need and taken actions to make an anti-terror law, however The Republic of Korea has not yet come up with any relevant output. Currently, the Korean government apportions duties to each related government agency and sets up systems for cooperation among them to make preparations against and cope with terror threats, according to The National Guidelines on Anti-Terror Activities (the presidential directive number 47 given on January 21, 1982). However, the directive has many limits and shortcomings in coping with national emergencies. In this situation, this research aims to compare the national anti-terror laws of others countries with Korea's, in order to understand the problems in Korea, i.e., that The National Guidelines on Anti-Terror Activities, which are the only anti-terror regulations in Korea do not clearly describe the concept and range of a terror, that national anti-terror meetings and the anti-terror standing committee have problems with their operation, that the Terrorism Information Integration Center has also its own problems, and that Korea lacks in preparatory actions against terror crimes and there are still problems about investigations into terror incidents. In order to solve these problems for the future, the present author suggests that the purpose of the law on The National Guidelines on Anti-Terror Activities shall be re-established so as to meet the current anti-terror conditions of Korea, the concept of a terror and anti-terror activities shall be clarified, anti-terror organizations shall be unified, the chair of the anti-terror standing committee shall be appointed legally and automatically according to the relevant rule and be given more rights so as to have free access to private information for anti-terror activities and terror-related information, and systems shall be supplemented for reporting terror-involved persons and funds.