hankyoreh

Mar. 15. (provided by Park Sung-soo)

A man who scattered leaflets he had made that were critical of President Park Geun-hye has now scattered dog food in front of the police department to protest their investigation of him.

Around 10 am on Mar. 15, social activist Park Seong-soo, 41, scattered dog food in front of the police station in Gunsan, North Jeolla Province in defiance of the investigation into the pamphlets.

When the police issued Park a summons for making leaflets critical of President Park, he sent a bag of dog food instead of appearing in person.

Before sending the dog food, he posted a picture he had taken online in which he is holding the dog food along with a placard that says, “The police should eat this bag of dog food and wag their tails even harder at Park Geun-hye.”

“Put an end to this security crackdown on pamphlets at once. I will scatter twice as many [pamphlets] as you suppress. Hand over the phone that you confiscated right away!” Park told the police on Monday.

On Mar. 12, the police raided Park’s house in Gunsan along with a print shop in the Gunsan area they believed had printed the leaflets. During the raids, they confiscated Park’s phone and the leaflets.

On Mar. 13, Park once again carried out a one-person demonstration in front of the Gunsan branch of Jeonju District Court criticizing the police for conducting the search and the court for issuing the search warrant.

Park is being charged with producing around 4,000 leaflets criticizing President Park’s policies and the current state of affairs, which he stuffed in apartment mailboxes, placed on vehicles, and handed out to passersby on Jan. 2.

Along with a photo of President Park meeting former North Korean leader Kim Jong-il during a visit to North Korea in May 2002, the pamphlets say, “There should also be a thorough investigation of Park Geun-hye for breaking the National Security Law,” “When she does it, it‘s okay, but when others do it, it’s pro-North Korea,” and “Is she playing up security concerns to hide her affair with Chung Yoon-hoi?”

“In Busan, I heard that they give the cell phone back the day after they carry out the search. But though I have asked several times, the police have not given me my cell phone back. I haven’t been questioned by the police yet,” Park said.

At 11 am on Mar. 17, Park and civic groups will be holding a press conference in front of Jeonbuk Provincial Police Agency to criticize the government’s security crackdown.

By Park Im-Keun, North Jeolla correspondent

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