Lee Yoon-seop, a 68-year-old South Korean, was sentenced to 14 months in jail for creating a poem extolling North Korea and submitting it to a contest run by a North Korean propaganda website. Yoon-seop’s conduct violated South Korea’s National Security Act (link to the Act), an antiquated piece of legislation dating back to 1948, specifically Article 7, which prohibits praising or inciting activities of any anti-government organization.
The application of the National Security Act has triggered criticism from human rights organizations globally, with allegations that it suppresses the constitutional right to express political views and negates the fundamental human rights of freedom and expression. A report from Amnesty International (link to report) claims that the Act is used as an excuse to deny these freedoms. In 2012, a man named Park Jung-geun received a suspended sentence for retweeting North Korean content. Again, in 2014, a 73-year-old man was given a year’s imprisonment for penning blogs adulating North Korea. However, he was acquitted for following North Korea’s official Twitter account.
The enforcement of Article 7 has invited ire from the UN Human Rights Committee (link to UN reports), which expressed serious concerns in October 2023. However, the South Korean government has announced that it has no intention of nullifying the article, arguing that the measure is justified to safeguard national security.
Lee Yoon-seop’s poem was submitted to the Uriminzokkiri website, a portal controlled by the North Korean state, as part of a 2016 competition. The poem expressed that a unified Korea under North Korea’s socialist system would grant its people free housing, healthcare, and education. The court’s sentence on Lee was influenced by his glorification of North Korea and his alleged threat to South Korea’s existence and security, and their foundational liberal democratic order (link to court’s statement).
Amnesty International responded to the sentencing on Monday, contending that the National Security Act should not be wielded arbitrarily. They argue that those who peacefully express their opinions and exercise their right to freedom of expression should not be harassed, arrested, or silenced (link to Amnesty International’s statement). They called for the amendment of the National Security Act and, in particular, Article 7, to bring it in line with international human rights laws.