South Korean Law Supresses Freedom of Speech, say advocates Slug: Korea Security Law Reporter: Jason Strother

Date: 3/12/2012 IN R! In South Korea" one o# the worl$%s &ost wire$ countries" what you say online coul$ get you in trou'le((( especially i# it%s a'out North Korea( Just as) *ar) Jung+geun who was recently #oun$ guilty o# supporting the *yongyang regi&e( ,u&an rights groups say the National Security Law is 'eing use$ to silence opponents o# *resi$ent Lee -yung+'a)( .n$ they want South Korea%s ne/t lea$er to scrap the law( Reporter Jason Strother has &ore #ro& Seoul( 01 //S211 3ourt/sound of Park talking outside courthouse// *ar) Jung+geun e&erge$ as a #ree &an #ro& a court in the city o# Suwon( ,e won%t 'e $oing ti&e in 4ail" 'ut he was still #oun$ guilty an$ gi5en a suspen$e$ sentence( *ar) was arreste$ last year #or re+tweeting a &essage #ro& a pro+North Korean we'site on witter 6 which is #or'i$$en un$er the South Korea%s National Security Law( 7ut 28+year ol$ *ar)" who wor)s at his #a&ily%s photo stu$io in Seoul" says that he was only trying to &a)e a 4o)e an$ $oes not support North Korea( *ar) clip 1 9-ale" Korean:: ;I thin) their society" they way the lea$ers are worshipe$ is li)e a 'lac) co&e$y( I only re+tweete$ a &essage that was originally #ro& a pro+North Korea we'site( I 4ust thought it was #unny(< he National Security Law 'egan in 1=8> as a way to pre5ent North Korean in#luence in the South( he go5ern&ent uses it to 'loc) we'sites or &essage 'oar$s that it consi$ers pro+*yongyang( 7ut *ar) says that it%s 'eing use$ to li&it #ree$o& o# speech( *ar) clip 2 9-ale" Korean: ;?e shoul$ 'e allowe$ to e/press our opinions" 'ut the law is 'eing a'use$ 'y the go5ern&ent(< //S212 3on#erence/soun$ o# spea)ers at con#erence( Slowly #a$e un$er trac) till ne/t clip// he hu&an rights group" .&nesty International agrees with *ar)(

Last &onth it hel$ a press con#erence in Seoul an$ release$ a paper con$e&ning the National Security Law( Ra4i5 Narayan is .&nesty%s 0ast .sia Director( Narayan clip 1 9-ale" 0nglish: ;It woul$ appear that #ro& our in5estigation that the National Security Law has 'een use$ @uite ar'itrarily on people or organiAations who are percei5e$ to 'e critical or oppose$ to the o##icial line" the presi$ent%s policy on North Korea(< .&nesty%s report says while in5estigations into pro+North Korea acti5ity ha5e risen un$er conser5ati5e *resi$ent Lee -yung+'a)" the nu&'er o# con5ictions re&ain relati5ely low( Narayan says the law is 'eing use$ as a tool #or political inti&i$ation( Narayan clip 2 9-ale" 0nglish: ; here is increase$ sur5eillance on online $iscussion an$ $e'ate on North Korea( ?e #eel that the National Security Law in its current #or& shoul$ either 'e repeale$" or a&en$e$ in line with international co&&it&ents" international o'ligations(< 7ut while .&nesty International an$ other hu&an rights group say the National Security Law is hurting #ree$o& o# speech" the law $oes ha5e its supporters( //S213 Rally/sound from conservative rally// 3onser5ati5e acti5ist groups say that as long as the two Koreas are at war" the National Security Law &ust stay in place( hese groups are &a$e up o# &ostly el$erly &en" that press the go5ern&ent to )eep a tough policy towar$ *yongyang( Seo Jeong+ga' hea$s one o# these groups in Seoul( Seo clip 1 9-ale" Korean: ;?e are sharing this peninsula with North Korea" the worl$%s worst $ictatorship( hey ha5e attac)e$ our countryB they )ille$ 8C South Korean sailors in 2010( !ther concerns li)e hu&an rights or the econo&y are not as i&portant 'e#ore we uni#y the nation(< Seo says he is worrie$ that progressi5e can$i$ate -oon Jae+in will win the Dece&'er 1=th presi$ential election( -oon says he wants to i&pro5e relations with North Korea( -oon is in a tight race with conser5ati5e conten$er *ar) Deun+hye" who is 5ying to 'eco&e South Korea%s #irst #e&ale hea$ o# state( 7ut while on the ca&paign trail" neither can$i$ate has &entione$ the National Security Law( Ki& 3hang+na&" a co&&unication pro#essor at Seoul%s Sung)onghoe Eni5ersity" says e5en &entioning the $eca$es ol$ law is not politically a$5antageous #or either can$i$ate( Ki& clip 1 9-ale" Korean: ;South Korean people ha5e recei5e$ anti+3o&&unist e$ucation #or so long that the National Security Law see&s nor&al( . politician woul$ not 'e a'le to gain &ore 5otes 'y challenging the law $uring the ca&paign(<

Ki& says that i# *ar) Deun+hye wins the election" he e/pects en#orce&ent o# the National Security Law to re&ain the sa&e as un$er her pre$ecessor( 7ut i# -oon Jae+in wins there coul$ 'e so&e changes once he%s in o##ice( Ki& clip 2 9-ale" Korean: ;.t 'est" there is the possi'ility the law coul$ 'e &o$i#ie$" 'ut I $on%t see it 'eing a'an$one$ all together(< *ar) Jung+geun" the young &an who was #oun$ guilty o# sprea$ing North Korean propagan$a on social &e$ia" says he hopes the National Security Law is change$ in the ne/t a$&inistration( ,e says #or now" he will re#rain #ro& posting anything a'out North Korea on witter( *ar) clip 3 9-ale" Korean: ;I an$ &any other South Koreans are worrie$ that what we say on witter or online can 'e use$ against us( I ha5e lost interest in rea$ing a'out North Korea an$ using witter altogether(< *ar) is appealing the 4u$ge%s $ecision an$ hopes to get his guilty 5er$ict o5errule$( 2or .sia 3alling" I%& Jason Strother in Seoul(