In South Korea Sarcasm Means Jail

Kim Jong-il tweet: South Korean Park Jeonggeun held

 

 

 Park Jeonggeun, a political activist, re-tweeted the message "Long live Kim Jong-il" from the communist country's official Twitter account.

 He said he intended to ridicule the leader, who died in December, but could face up to seven years in jail.

 

Mr Park added that as well as re-tweeting North Korea's message, he also uploaded North Korean propaganda posters - with some alterations.
"I replaced a smiling North Korean soldier's face with a downcast version of my own face, and the soldier's weapon with a bottle of whisky."

National Security Act (South Korea)

This law is acknowledged by some South Korean politicians and activists as a symbol of the anti-communism of South Korea's First Republic and its dictatorial period of 1964-1987. In 2004, legislators of the Uri Party, then with a majority, made a gesture as to annul the law, but failed owing to Grand National Party opposition. Some poll results in 2004-2005 from the media cartel called Chojoongdong, which is biased toward the South Korean legal fields and conservative political parties, allegedly show that more than half of the Korean people are against the abolition of the act, and the dispute continues.^[1][2]
This law has been regularly blamed for restricting freedom of speech:

• Citizens may not join an organization with aims to overthrow the government;
• Citizens may not create, distribute or possess materials that promote anti-government ideas;
• Citizens may not neglect to report others who violate this law.

This law encourages McCarthyism in the military since the first half of 2011.^[3]

Notable cases

2011

On March 21, 3 university students in Seoul were arrested under the National Security Act for making an academic club that critically questions capitalism.^[6] Later 2 of the three students were released on the 23rd.^[7]
On June 24, the Gyeongnam National Police Agency imprisoned the administrator who had run a refugee pro-North internet group, Cyber Headquarter of National Liberation Sub-Chapter (사이버 민족방위사령부 별관).^[8]
On July 10, the prosecutors investigated a researcher in Korea Higher Education Research Institution (한국대학교육연구소) under the National Security Act for allegedly connecting with the North Korean government.^[9]
On July 29, prosecutors arrested the ringleader of an pro-North underground political party called the Wangjaesan Party.^[10] On August 25, 2011, the SPO presented to the public about their alleged plan of destroying public buildings and uniting the South Korean left-wing political parties.^[11] One of the electronic systems made by the Wangjaesan Party had almost been installed in an apartment complex of a relative of Lee Myung-bak.^[12]
On August 1, the prosecutors of the military division prosecuted a Korean history instructor of the Korea Naval Academy for searching for works of Kim Jong-il and Kim Il-sung on the internet and possessing works such as of Marx and Lenin.^[13]
On August 4, the Gyeonggi-do Provincial Police Agency indicted, Mr. Hwang, the former administrator of Cyber Headquarter of National Liberation (사이버민족방위사령부) in court for saying "long live Kim Jong-il" in court.^[14]
On November 10, the Seoul District Public Prosecutor´s Office Public Security Directorate #2 indicted four executives of the 6.15 Youth and Student Solidarity for propagating pro-North propagandas.^[15]
On November 11, the National Police Agency indicted a former military officer who had run an pro-North Korean internet group.^[16]