Dongguk University Suspends Controversial Academic Poison Hoax Targets Leftist Academic, Justice Minister Academic Questioned Over Pro-Pyongyang Remarks Historian Steps Up Attack on U.S. Propaganda, not Learning

Kang was convicted on several counts, one of them writing a message in the guest book at former North Korean leader Kim Il-sung’s birthplace Mangyongdae in 2001 saying, “Let’s achieve unification by succeeding to the spirit of Mangyongdae." He was also found guilty of violations over the “war of reunification” remark and for calling U.S. general Douglas MacArthur a “warmonger” in the online articles last year. Moves to arrest Kang last year led to a scandal that resulted in the resignation of prosecutor-general Kim Jong-bin after the justice minister ordered him not to arrest the academic.

Supporters of Dongguk University sociologist Prof. Kang Jeong-koo tussle with opponents on Friday morning after Seoul Central District Court convicted the controversial academic of violating the National Security Law. Kang notoriously referred to the Korean War as “North Korea's war of unification.”

The court ruled some of Kang’s remarks were not academic points but made with intent to agitate in favor of North Korea or spread pro-North Korean ideas in violation of the security law. The court said Kang’s remarks were “aggressive enough to potentially cause damage to the existence and safety of the nation and its basic principle of liberal democracy, and he himself was aware of this.” But the bench suspended the sentence having concluded that an ideology “is best verified when it competes with other ideologies in a liberal environment, and our society has grown healthy enough to provide such an environment, so the possibility of such potential causing actual damage to our society is low.” It added the guilty verdict in itself had “a symbolic meaning of punishment” and will impair Kang’s social and professional status.

There was a commotion after the verdict was announced among the 100 or so spectators who filled the tiny courtroom, with outraged opponents of the academic shouting, “This isn’t the Republic of Korea, it’s the Republic of North Korea.” Outside the court, some 100 Kang supporters called for the abolition of the decades-old National Security Law and carried pickets that read, “Expressing one’s opinion should not be punishable by law” and “The government should guarantee freedom of opinion.” Kang commented the court “just follows the law and it isn’t always consistent with demands by the people or a society or universal human principles.” He vowed to appeal.

(englishnews@chosun.com )