A man in his 50s received a suspended prison sentence from the court for posting numerous messages praising North Korea on his Facebook account.
According to legal sources on August 9, Judge Yoon Sung-sik of the Suwon District Court’s Criminal Division 3 sentenced Mr. A, who was indicted on charges including violating the National Security Act (praise and incitement), to one year in prison with a two-year suspension. The court also ordered probation for Mr. A.
Mr. A is accused of posting numerous messages on his Facebook account praising and aligning himself with North Korea’s socialist system between January 23, 2022, and February 26, 2023.
Previously, in September last year, Mr. A was sentenced by the Suwon District Court for the same charges to one year and six months in prison with a two-year disqualification, and that verdict was confirmed in May this year.
In court, he stated that he merely posted an article from Rodong Sinmun on his personal social media, and claimed that, in the overall context, it does not constitute praise or incitement under the National Security Act, thereby denying the intent behind his actions.
However, the court rejected Mr. A’s claim, noting that the editorial in Rodong Sinmun is an extensive piece with a tone that praises North Korea’s socialist system, and added that the defendant also posted numerous messages that directly denied the South Korean system without linking to any newspaper articles.
Judge Yoon explained that considering the number of posts, the content, and the manner of expression, the culpability is not minor, and noted that the defendant has a history of receiving a suspended prison sentence for a similar offense prior to this incident.
However, Mr. A also stated that the fact that the defendant largely acknowledged the facts and did nothing beyond posting messages on his Facebook account is a mitigating factor.