[Editorial] The revival of freedom of speech violations from years past

Posted on : 2007-01-22 15:27 KST Modified on : 2007-01-22 15:27 KST

Two teachers have been arrested for posting North Korean materials that praise Pyongyang’s "Songun Politics" on the home page of the Seoul branch of the Korean Teachers and Educational Workers Union (Jeon Gyo Jo). Police arrested them on the spot and applied for a warrant later, which was indeed issued by the Seoul District Court. The grounds were that their crime was serious because of the influence their actions must have had on students. The matter was thrust into center stage way back on August 1 of last year when the Chosun Ilbo ran a story titled, "This Time Jeon Gyo Jo Has a NK Propaganda Poster."

Watching this case take its course, we get the feeling we’re reliving a nightmare from dictatorships past. What would happen then is that the conservative media would go on a publicity offensive about violations of the National Security Law (NSL), and it was in that kind of mood that investigative agencies and the courts would punish people for their "pro-North" or "espionage" activities. It was more than common - it was a regular scenario. Obviously, some among those who were punished were indeed operatives, but there are still many who continue to say their cases were fabricated. The problem is that once you’re labeled a North Korean spy, you’re cursed with a Scarlet Letter that stays with you until the day you die.

Maybe Korean society is turning more toward conservativism, but we just cannot stand back and let people be arrested for something like this. The material the two teachers posted is barely any different from what the Chosun Ilbo, the first paper to take issue with the teachers’ actions, has on its informational site regarding North Korea. There is similar material all over the Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development’s "peace school" site.

Some might say the teachers’ union site has a lot more influence on students and teachers and so there should be no comparison to a newspaper’s site on North Korea. However, on the Chosun Ilbo’s site, there is a "homework helper" corner where this very moment students are getting information about North Korea. There is a "teacher’s room" for teachers doing lessons on "unification education," and there you will find the Pyongyang government’s New Year’s Address and plenty of other primary source materials. Students and teachers are just a few clicks away from original North Korean sources. This makes the situation more than just discrimination - it’s comical.

Just as the president of the Chosun Ilbo should not be arrested because his company hosts that kind of Web site, neither should the two Jeon Gyo Jo teachers have been arrested. Investigative agencies and the courts need to grow up and move beyond their anachronistic thinking. Finally, if we are ever going to see an end to this kind of thing, we are going to have to abolish the National Security Law, since it is also out of step with this era of inter-Korean exchange and reconciliation.


Please direct questions or comments to [englishhani@hani.co.kr]

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