50s man who agreed with North Korean claims sentenced to a suspended prison term
The Incheon District Court's Criminal 14th Division, presided over by Judge Gong Woo-jin, sentenced Mr. A to one year in prison, with a two-year suspension and a one-year disqualification, for violating the National Security Law.
Mr. A is accused of posting messages supporting North Korea's federal unity and the withdrawal of U.S. troops from South Korea on social networking services from September 2017 until October last year.
He opened an SNS group and posted messages stating, "We must live with an awareness of history towards our nation," "North Korea and South Korea should form a self-reliant alliance," and "The Korea-U.S. alliance is an extension of U.S. colonialism."
Additionally, he posted a message on SNS titled "Answer from the Spokesperson of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea Ministry of Foreign Affairs," characterizing the Korea-U.S. joint exercises as preparations for a North Korean invasion and defending the legitimacy of nuclear weapon use.
The investigation revealed that Mr. A joined the Unified Progressive Party in 2014 and had been active as a member of its successor, the People's Union Party, and the Incheon City Chapter of the Progressive Party.
Judge Gong noted, "The number of instances and the duration of posting treasonous materials is considerable," while stating, "Our society has matured to the point where we can filter out misguided values and ideologies through sound common sense and rational argumentation."
He further explained, "I determined the sentence based on the judgment that the danger posed by the defendant's actions to the foundational order of freedom and democracy in the Republic of Korea is extremely minimal."
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