Monday 8 August 2011

Long Live Great General Kim Jong Il: S. Korean Prisoner

Pyongyang, August 8 (KCNA) -- The south Korean daily Dong-A Ilbo August 5 carried an article saying a south Korean prisoner, 43, shouted "Long live great General Kim Jong Il!" at a lawcourt when his sentence was reduced.

The article says:

On June 30 this year, the man, surnamed Hwang, was taken to court No. 410 of Suwon District Court, for the final hearing of the appeal after being charged with violation of the National Security Law (NSL).

He was arrested in December 2010 and brought to justice on suspicion that he posted some 380 materials and 6 videos praising the north's social system on a website in August 2007.

In the final trial, his sentence was reduced to one year from one and half year.

The moment the judge was coming out of the court room, Hwang abruptly shouted "Long live great General Kim Jong Il!" looking squarely at the prosecutor.

The Kyonggi Provincial Police launched a re-investigation of Hwang's case in a bid to charge him with violation of NSL prohibiting praises of the north.

During the interrogation, he said, "I wanted to speak highly of the north in the court and I did it on the trial day because I thought it was an appropriate day. If what I did is reported by media and known to young people and generations to come, I will be remembered as a praiseworthy man."

"My homeland is north Korea, and south Korea is governed by a puppet regime. I think the six-month reduction is a shame to me".

Hwang, a university graduate, was employed by a big construction business. The police was surprised by an ordinary worker unhesitatingly praising the north and slandering the south.

After a month-long investigation, the police again made a non-restraint arrest of Hwang on August 1 for his intention to praise the north.

The head of the first investigation group of the Kyonggi Provincial Police Agency, Pak Tal Sun, said, "Prisoners speaking highly of Kim Il Sung, Kim Jong Il and north Korea in court are on increase." -0-

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