The chairman of a private organization who imported North Korean novels without approval from the Ministry of Unification has received a reduced fine in an appeals court.
On December 14, legal sources reported that the Seoul Central District Court’s Criminal Appeals Division 8-3, presided over by Judges Choi Jin-sook, Cha Seung-hwan, and Choi Hae-il, overturned the original verdict. The court reduced the fine for Jeong Ik-hyun, chairman of the North-South Economic Cooperation Union (Unification Agricultural Cooperative), from 3 million KRW (about 2,040 USD) to 2 million KRW (about 1,360 USD).
Jeong was indicted for importing nine novels, including The Resurrection of Goguryeo, The National Tragedy, and The Female Reporter, as well as 12 USB drives containing these novels. He had contracted with the North Korean Copyright Office through a Chinese company.
The court accepted Jeong’s argument that the nine North Korean novels were gifts from a Chinese business partner and thus did not require approval from the Minister of Unification.
Typically, importing goods from North Korea requires submitting an application to the Minister of Unification for approval at least seven days in advance. However, the court ruled that these novels should be classified as traveler’s goods, which are generally exempt from this requirement.
However, the court rejected Jeong’s claim that the USB drives containing the novel files were imported to seek approval from the Ministry of Unification for domestic publication of the North Korean novels.
The court stated that even if the USB drives are attachments to the confirmation document, they still fall under items requiring separate import approval from the Minister of Unification. It added that the Ministry of Unification could likely verify the content through the physical novels, making the submission of original files unnecessary.
The court emphasized that according to the law, prior approval from the Minister of Unification is mandatory for importing any goods from North Korea, regardless of the purpose.