Ro Su-hui

Ro Su-hui is a South Korean political activist[1] who was jailed in 2013 for breaking the National Security Act.

Political activity

Su-hui is the vice-chairman of the South Headquarters of the Pan-national Alliance for Korea's Reunification (Pomminryon).[2] He was described by NBC News as "a leader of a South Korean group that has maintained friendly ties with North Korean groups".[3]

Arrest and prosecution

Su-hui was arrested in July 2012 after he returned from an unauthorized visit to North Korea, where he called for the reunification of the two Koreas and bitterly criticised President Lee Myung-bak of South Korea for his hard-line North Korea policy.[4][5] He had entered the North via China in March for a memorial service marking the 100th day since the death of long-time ruler Kim Jong-il.[6] In February 2013, he was sentenced to four years in prison, and the Seoul Central District Court also ordered that his rights, such as suffrage, be stripped for three years after his release from prison.[2]

The court ruling said "stern punishment is inevitable because [Su-hui] made a secret visit to North Korea without permission". Another activist, Won Jin-Wook, received a three-year prison sentence for communicating with North Korean officials to arrange Su-hui's trip.[6]

The arrest of Su-hui was described by NK News as "a clear but unnecessary propaganda victory" for North Korea.[7] An article in The Guardian mused: "The arrest made a very small splash in the western media, which comes as little surprise because a story with a warm North and a cold South is doesn't square easily with the message that has been delivered by media outlets in Europe and the US for the last two decades."[8]

The Korean Central News Agency said the "arrest has pushed the people in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea [North Korea] into fury" and described it as an abuse of human rights.[9]

References

  1. ↑ "Südkoreaner nach Rückkehr aus Nordkorea verhaftet" [South Korean arrested after returning from North Korea] (in German). Der Spiegel. 5 July 2012. Retrieved 2 March 2015.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Pro-N. Korean activist gets jail term for illegal trip to Pyongyang". Yonhap News. 8 February 2013. Retrieved 2 March 2015.
  3. ↑ "South Korea activist arrested as he steps across border on return from North". NBC News. 5 July 2012. Retrieved 2 March 2015.
  4. ↑ "South Korea Arrests Activist After Unauthorized Trip to North". New York Times. 5 July 2012. Retrieved 2 March 2015.
  5. ↑ "South Korean unification activist arrested on return from N Korea". BBC News. 6 July 2012. Retrieved 2 March 2015.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 "South Korean activists jailed for visit to North". South China Morning Post. 8 February 2013. Retrieved 2 March 2015.
  7. ↑ "An Unnecessary Propaganda Victory for Pyongyang". NK News. 6 July 2012. Retrieved 2 March 2015.
  8. ↑ "South Korea good, North Korea bad? Not a very useful outlook". The Guardian. 19 July 2012. Retrieved 2 March 2015.
  9. ↑ "DPRK People Enraged at S. Korean Regime's Abuse of Human Rights". KCNA. 7 July 2012. Retrieved 2 March 2015.