South Korean Professor convicted over KN remarks

mike · #1 05-28-2006, 07:38 AM

We all know South Korean universities are a hot bed of pro-North Korean and anti-U.S. sentiment. Well, a South Korean professor has been convicted of violating South Korea's National Security Law. He won't see any jail time, but there is a good chance he will be striped of his post in the university.

Quote:

Kang was convicted on several counts, one of them writing a message in the guest book at former North Korean leader Kim Il-sung’s birthplace Mangyongdae in 2001 saying, “Let’s achieve unification by succeeding to the spirit of Mangyongdae." He was also found guilty of violations over the “war of reunification” remark and for calling U.S. general Douglas MacArthur a “warmonger” in the online articles last year. Moves to arrest Kang last year led to a scandal that resulted in the resignation of prosecutor-general Kim Jong-bin after the justice minister ordered him not to arrest the academic.

The court ruled some of Kang’s remarks were not academic points but made with intent to agitate in favor of North Korea or spread pro-North Korean ideas in violation of the security law. The court said Kang’s remarks were “aggressive enough to potentially cause damage to the existence and safety of the nation and its basic principle of liberal democracy, and he himself was aware of this.” But the bench suspended the sentence having concluded that an ideology “is best verified when it competes with other ideologies in a liberal environment, and our society has grown healthy enough to provide such an environment, so the possibility of such potential causing actual damage to our society is low.” It added the guilty verdict in itself had “a symbolic meaning of punishment” and will impair Kang’s social and professional status.

Here is an image of the scuffle near the courthouse.

shsong21 · #2 05-29-2006, 12:59 AM

Do you know about South Korea's National Security Law ?
(Korean version; 국가보안법)
This Law is very meanness law and it have to abolished in S.Korea.
Many pepole was sacrificed by this law.
Do you know this fact ?
South Korea's National Security Law is very ugly the law in S.Korea.
This law be made by a military coup, so many a good man was killed by this law.
Do you know ?
This law still existing in S.Korea and also it watching somebody.
S.Korea never a free country yet.

mike · #3 05-29-2006, 07:12 AM

Shsong21,

It sounds like this law is a "catch all" law. Basically, it is a tool for the government to throw you in jail if you are talking bad about it. Am I close? It also seems it was developed after the Korean War to keep North Korean sympathizers quiet. I can understand that your freedom of speech should have been restricted in the 50s-70s in Korea. I am not sure if it is needed today though.

sejongeb · #4 05-30-2006, 12:27 AM

Quote:

“aggressive enough to potentially cause damage to the existence and safety of the nation and its basic principle of liberal democracy, and he himself was aware of this.” But the bench suspended the sentence having concluded that an ideology ...This isn’t the Republic of Korea, it’s the Republic of North Korea.” Outside the court, some 100 Kang supporters called for the abolition of the decades-old National Security Law and carried pickets that read, “Expressing one’s opinion should not be punishable by law”

Watch out Michael Moore!

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