by JAMES S. KIM
The South Korean Justice Ministry said Friday it had deported a Chinese student for “aiding North Korea” through online activities and violating South Korea’s controversial National Security Law, according to the Wall Street Journal.
The student, described as a 24-year-old from Guangdong Province, had apparently criticized the South Korean government and expressed pro-North Korean views through hundreds of comments online and on a Facebook page, which apparently read, “North Korea media.” A Chosun Ilbo report said the posts were in Korean and Chinese and solely represented Pyongyang’s position on issues.
In one post, the student apparently said that it was “touching” that the “great leader Kim Jong-un” had conducted inspections in snowy conditions. The student also faced accusations of participating in anti-government demonstrations and comparing President Park Geun-hye’s administration to that of her late father, Park Chung-hee.
The Korea Times reported South Korea’s National Intelligence Service had alerted the Ministry of Justice about the student when he had applied for another visa in August.
Under the National Security Law, which was first drafted after World War II to weed out communist sympathizers and spies, any expression of support for North Korea is considered a crime. It also bars any “anti-government” activities as well.
International watchdogs Amnesty International and Freedom House have said South Korea has increased use of the law in recent years. 82 people were prosecuted for alleged online activities in 2010, compared to five in 2008. The New York Times notes that websites considered “pro-North Korea” are regularly shut down, and the government has blocked the official Facebook and Twitter accounts of the North Korean government since 2010.
The Chinese Embassy in Seoul said it would not intervene in the case, unless they found that the student was treated unfairly.
Photo courtesy of KCNA
