Global Voices » North Korea

South Korea: American Missionary Sue North Korea for Sexual Torture

Lee Yoo Eun — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:32:36 +0000

Robert Park, a Korean-American missionary and human rights activist who went to North Korea on 2009, sued North Korea for sexual torture. Park crossed into the country in protest of North Korea's human rights atrocity. However, as Marmot's Hole blogger wrote, the new has drawn some cynical reactions.

South Korea: Activist Indicted for Retweeting North Korean Messages

Lee Yoo Eun — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 09:33:35 +0000

South Korean prosecutors indicted a photographer and freedom-of-speech activist last week on charges of violating national security law, for retweeting messages posted by an official North Korean government Twitter account. Despite the international media's widespread coverage, the case went seriously under-reported in South Korean media.

This case has sparked another round of debate on the controversial national security law, which prohibits “acts benefiting the enemy” without specifying what constitutes such acts.

Controversial tweets

Park Jung-geun, 23, was detained last month, but the incident actually goes back to September 2010, when police raided his photo studio in Seoul. According to one news report [ko], Park, from 2010 March to January 2011, with his two Twitter accounts (@seouldecadence, @dprkdecadence), retweeted about 102 messages originally tweeted by North Korean Twitter account @uriminzok. He also tweeted 30 links that led to North Korean video content.

Twitter profile image of user @windburial, the user switched to this image created by Park in order to show his support to Park.

The overall number of Park's “problematic” tweets is 384, which is only about 0.5 per cent of his entire tweets. In his trial, these tweets were depicted as “an expression of an agreement with the enemy's (referring to North Korea) propaganda” and were accused of “promoting the enemy's messages”.

Park claimed his retweets were a joke made to lampoon the North Korean regime and explained that the misunderstanding rose from reading his tweets out of context.

For instance, Park tweeted a tweaked image of a North Korean poster (see right). Using a typically North Korean poster, which are usually aggressive, warmongering and whose major color is red, Park replaced the soldier's face with his own face and the rifle with a bottle of whisky.

In another example, Park compared himself to North Korea's new heir, Kim Jong-un, since like Kim, he had ‘inherited' something from his father, which in Park's case is a photo studio.

South Korean media silence

What has baffled South Koreans however, is that although the police raided Park's studio last year and there has been quite strong opposition against the case online (including the creation of Internet photo memes of Park), recent updates have mostly come from the international media. Until local media reported about this unusual flow of information, Park's indictment was fairly new to the South Korean general public.

Hong Sung-soo (@sungsooh) tweeted [ko]:

“北 풍자한 박정근이 이적행위?”…외신 일제히 비판 : bit.ly/yK0WtI 뉴욕타임스, 워싱턴포스트, AP, AFP, UPI, CBS, MSNBC, 더 오스트레일리안, BBC… 외신보도 슈퍼 그랜드슬램 달성!!

“Really? Has Park committed national treason by lampooning North Korea?” Foreign media unanimously criticized (the indictment), including the New York Times, Washington Post, AP, AFP, UPI, CBS, MSNBC, the Australian, BBC - Congratulations on hitting the Grand Slam in the international media coverage.

A journalist from progressive newspaper, Huh Jae-yeon (@welovehani) tweeted [ko]:

우리만 보도안하고 있음

Only we - the Korean media - are remaining silent on this matter.

A Twitter account has been set up to support Park (@freepark_bot), summarizing[ko] in just one sentence what his real charge is:

박정근의 죄목: 트위터로 이것저것 한 거

The name of Mr. Park's crime: Trying this and that on Twitter.

Internet photo meme

Here are some of the meme photos produced back in September 2011, consolidated by Wiki Tree: firstly, starting with Park's original Twitter profile photo:

Park's original Twitter profile image, Image from his account @seouldecadence

Profile image of Twitter user @blu_pn. Posted on Wiki Tree site, CC

The image above shows Park's image with him holding a large blue pen. The tweet [ko] read:

I've switched my profile photo. (Sorry for using Park Jung-geun's photo without permission) It is to voice opposition against the government authority's raid on Mr. Park. I have never met Mr.Park, neither am I a socialist party member (like Park himself). I am not even his follower. But as a member of our civil society, I support his rights to freedom of speech!

Some of the messages from the Wiki Tree link [ko] read…

Twitter user @yawoori [ko]:

우리 모두는 박정근이다!

We are all Park Jung-geun!

Twitter user @Chocoberryp [ko]:

프로필 제 사진 아닙니다. ‘국가보안법 위반'이라는 이유로 박정근님에 대한 압수수색에 항의하는 의미에서 수많은 사람들이 프로필에 박정근을 자처하고 있습니다.

This profile photo is not mine. Many people have changed their Twitter profile photos to Park's image as an expression of protest against the police raid on Mr. Park, which was done under the name of ‘violation of the national security law'

Various Internet meme photos of Park Jung-geun, Posted in the Wiki Tree site, CC

Twitter user @Solidaritat [ko]:

이토록 많은 박정근을 죄다 가두지는 못할 것이며, 또 이토록 많은 박정근으로 인해 그 한 명의 박정근은 반드시 자유로워질 것이다. 필시 그리될 것이다.

They cannot arrest all these Park Jung-geuns. And thanks to all these numerous Park Jung-geuns, that one Park Jung-geun will be set free. That will eventually happen.

Rights advocates, including Amnesty International, released a statement to voice worries that the law “has a chilling effect on freedom of expression in South Korea” and “is used not to address threats to national security, but instead to intimidate people and limit their rights to free speech”.

Park's socialist party filed an online petition [ko] denouncing such decision as “an abuse of the national security law which is an icon of the military, authoritarian regime era”.

The remaining problem is that still a considerable number of Korean public are in support of this controversial law under which a considerable number of innocent citizens have been arrested and detained. Kim Nakho (@capcold), who has a Twitter profile photo that tweaked Park's profile image, tweeted [ko]:

어처구니없는 박정근 구속…보다 그에 관한 외신보도 때문에 급 조명받는 시대착오 국보법. 이왕 관심 가진 김에, 왜 그게 지금껏 살아있는지에 대해도 관심을. 국보법 없으면 국가보안 망한다 믿는 평범한 많은 이들의 학습능력 결여된 지지 말이다.

Park's arrest is so outrageous. What is more ridiculous is that this outdated national security law that recently caught the attention of the media because of the international media's coverage on it. Since we have started looking into this matter, we should focus on why that law has survived til now. It is because the ordinary people who so blindly bought into the notion that if the national security law stops existing, national security will be compromised. Those people who support the law for that reason are really lack the educational ability [lack understanding].

China, North Korea: Spreading Meth Across the Border

Oiwan Lam — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 04:56:22 +0000

Jende Huang from Sino-NK has written an investigative report on the spreading of meth across the China and North Korea border.

North Korea : Two Japanese Indicted for Exporting PC to North Korea

Lee Yoo Eun — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 16:18:00 +0000

North Korea Tech blog wrote about two Japanese people who were indicted for exporting personal computers to North Korea, thereby violating the Japanese government’s trade sanctions.

North Korean Defectors and Their Shattered American Dream

Lee Yoo Eun — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 19:08:34 +0000

Marmot's Hole blog wrote regarding a news report on the hardships North Korean defectors face in the United States. As of 2011, more than 400 North Korean defectors were living in the United States and there was a surge of defectors after 2004 when US passed the North Korean Human Rights Act.

North Korea: Kim Jong-Un Looking at Things.

Lee Yoo Eun — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 15:29:52 +0000

There was once the internet meme named “Kim Jong-il Looking at Things“, a collection of photographs of Kim visiting government facilities the net users have gathered together to mock his authoritative posture. After Kim died last year, net users have launched a new version, “Kim Jong-un Looking at Things” as appeared in Kotaku site.

Responses to AP's News Bureau in North Korea

Lee Yoo Eun — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 09:39:37 +0000

The Associated Press has opened a news bureau in North Korean capital, becoming the first western news agency to have its office inside the hermit kingdom. North Korea Tech blog consolidated some of the Twitter responses to the news.

South Korea: National Security Law Draws Intense Criticism

Lee Yoo Eun — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 16:31:41 +0000

North Korea Tech wrote a blog post on South Korea’s controversial National Security Law that bans display and distribution of North Korean material. Recently, several citizens were arrested under this law for posting seemingly benign North Korean songs or news clips.

North Korea Punishing People Who Did Not Mourn Enough for Kim Jong Il

Lee Yoo Eun — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 15:09:01 +0000

A news report came out saying North Korean authorities have begun to punish citizens who did not display enough sadness at Kim Jong Il's funeral. Bloggers have already raised suspicions that the hysterical mourning may not be genuine. Net user kmarko posted sample photos of citizens who seem indifferent.

Global Voices in Dutch Looks Back on 2011

Percy Balemans — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 17:00:05 +0000

This post is part of our special coverage Global Voices in 2011.

While the year 2012 is already well on its way, the translators of Global Voices in Dutch look back on 2011. Which posts stood out and what makes Global Voices so special?

Marjolein Snippe writes:

A while ago I had been translating a short documentary on the Belo Monte hydroelectric power plant and the arguments of indigenous people opposing it. Then I saw this report on Global Voices. I was glad the issue is still receiving attention and that the (mainly) indigenous people opposing it are getting their voices heard in Brazilian courtrooms, by the Brazilian government and by worldwide sympathisers and supporters.

I was very much touched by an article about Syria I translated back in March. All the personal stories and deep worries made the impact the struggles had on the people living there so much more visible and “tangible” than most official newspaper reports!

Mieke Tulp writes:

Being asked which GV posts from last year made an impression, it seems inevitable to come up with something about the Arabic Spring. One article that struck me was a report about day-to-day life on Tahrir Square. It focussed on the positive attitude and feelings among the protesters. Little Utopia amidst explosive surroundings

Another story from an Arab country that touched me was the arrest of Razan Ghazzawi. The article was translated into virtually every language Global Voices covers, and rightfully so. She was released on 18 December.

Something that had an absolutely negative impact on me: Troy Davis’ death. He was executed in September. I do not know what to say about it. It should not have happened.

And an interesting story about children who have to work. In Bolivia the working children formed unions to ensure better wages and working conditions. It is a story about strong children who work and go to school and are determined to create a better future for themselves.

Percy Balemans writes:

Last year I translated a lot of stories about the Arab Spring, a subject that was also covered extensively by regular media. But they mainly showed images of huge crowds. This is why I was touched by the story about Egyptian Nadia El Awady who took her 73-year old father to Tahrir Square. What a wonderful way to get a taste of the atmosphere and to read how a 73-year old experiences it all!

I also enjoyed translating the article “African Women Striving to be Heads of State“. A perfect example of the kind of subject you won't read about in regular media, but which is covered by Global Voices.

Saskia Bliemer writes:

I found “North Korea Threatens to Disclose Recordings of Talks with South“, written by Lee Yoo Eun, very interesting to translate. Though we have seen lots of images from North Korea on the news lately, the country remains a mystery to me. The good thing about Global Voices is that you can read the opinions of the local population, making it possible to get a more complete idea of the situation.

A huge thank you to all Global Voices in Dutch translators [nl] for their contributions in 2011! Would you like to contribute as well? Contact us.

This post is part of our special coverage Global Voices in 2011.

North Korean State Websites Started Praising the Heir after Kim's Death

Lee Yoo Eun — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 19:50:12 +0000

North Korea’s state-run websites have begun to print the regime's young heir, Kim Jong-un's name in a style previously reserved for lately deceased dictator, Kim Jong Il, reported North Korea Tech blog.

China, North Korea: Kim Jong-il Dead, Chinese Netizen Reactions

Oiwan Lam — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 04:09:11 +0000

Fauna has translated Chinese netizens' reactions over the news of Kim Jong-il's sudden death.

Responses to the Death of North Korean Dictator, Kim Jong-il

Lee Yoo Eun — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 01:38:41 +0000

North Korean dictator, Kim Jong-il, died on December 17, 2011, from a heart attack. North Korean state television has shown North Koreans mourning and sobbing hard at the news.

There are looming concerns that the death of Kim Jong-il could destabilize the Korean peninsula; the country's military has reportedly conducted short-range missile tests. Unsurprisingly, the South Korean Twittersphere has lit up with numerous responses to the news. The reactions vary from criticism of the South Korean government's poor risk management, and public complaints about the media who used to brag that they had classified information on North Korea, to careful predictions on the future of Korean peninsula.

South Korean Twitter influencers have posted numerous messages about the news. Reporter Go Jae-Yeol (@dogsul), who has 150,000 followers, tweeted [ko]:

우리 정부와 국정원이 김정일 사망을 모르고 있었던 것은 기정사실이고, 관건은 김정일 사망을 CIA나 미국은 알고 있었나 하는 점이다. 알고도 우리 정부에 알려주지 않은 것인지. 그들도 몰랐다면, 이것은 북한 내부가 고의로 지체했다는 것인데.

It is pretty obvious that our government and intelligence service had no idea of Kim Jong-il's death (till North Korea announced it). What matters here is whether CIA or the United States knew about this. I was wondering - did they choose not to tell our government, or did they also have no clue? In the latter case, it means the North Korea deliberately delayed the news.

Mr.Go also tweeted [ko]:

김정일 사망이 12월17일(토요일) 오전 8시30분이었는데… 발표를 오늘 한다? 사망 시점과 발표 시점 사이에 무수히 많은 일들이 벌어진 모양이네요. 장례식장 서열을 보면 그 결과를 알 수 있겠군요. 흠…

The time of Kim Jong-il's death was 8:30 AM on December 17 (Saturday), but the announcement was made today? This means that lots of things have happened between the time of death and the time of the announcement. We shall see the result of Kim's death from the ranking of his funeral..

Best-selling author and one of South Korea's top 3 most influential Twitter users, with 1.1 million followers, Lee Oi-soo (@oisoo) tweeted [ko]:

북한 김정일 국방위원장 사망을 계기로 살을 에는 추위 속에서 전군이 비상사태에 돌입했습니다. 군인들은 고난이 배가될 수밖에 없습니다. 접경지역인 화천경제도 급격히 얼어붙겠지요. 하지만 온 국민이 지혜롭게 한 해를 마무리할 수 있기를 빕니다.

All the military has entered a state of emergency in this bone-chilling weather. The sufferings of our military people would be doubled. (This news would) chill Hwa-chun's economy (Hwa-chun is a border region). Hope all South Korean people to wrap up the year well.

Another bestselling writer Gong Jee-young (@congjee) tweeted [ko]:

죽고나서도 바뀔 가능성이 없는 체제는 그 자체로 이미 지옥이다. RT @GoEuntae: 죽어야 물러나는 독재자란 얼마나 끔찍한 체제인가.

How awful is the system that has no chance of a change even after the leader has died - it is truly hell. RT @GoEuntae: How awful is the system serving a dictator who steps down only after he is dead.

Many South Koreans are still grumbling about the government's slow response and its lack of preparation. Bak Chan-hong (@mindgood) commented [ko] on a link to one citizen media report:

MB, 대북라인 절단으로 김정일 사망 사흘간 몰라…“북한중앙방송 상복입고 나오자 경악” j.mp/v6vqE6 아찔한 일입니다.

The government had not known about Kim Jong-il's death for three days due to the communication cut-off between the North Korea. When they saw North Korean Central television's anchor in a black (funeral) outfit, they gasped… This is such a nerve-racking situation.

Ricky (@NextBlade) reported [ko] via twitter that some people from the military were not at all ready for such an emergency:

현재 한 골프장에 헬기뜨고 난리도 아니란다. 알고 봤더니 평일 한가하게 골프치던 군 장성들 모셔가는 헬기란다. 이틀이 지나도록 아무것도 몰랐다는 증거… 천문학적인 군비는 대체 어디로 가는걸까.

I heard that a helicopter appeared above a golf course, creating such a fuss. The truth was that the helicopter went there to escort some high-ranking military personnel who leisurely enjoyed playing golf in the week days. This gives an idea that they had no clue what happened these last two days. What happened to the astronomical amount of (government) budget spent on the military?

@52c criticized [ko] the mainstream media who used to boast that they had inside information about North Korea. These media have denounced the public protest as a commotion incited by “pro-North Korean leftists”.

남한에서 촛불집회가 일어나도록 북한에서 조종했다는, 그 엄청난 비밀을 알아 냈던 조중동의 북한 소식통들은.. 김정일이 사망한 건 전혀 몰랐구나.. 소식통 좋아하시네..

The Chosun, Joongang and Donga newspapers [note: these three are the South Korea's most largest, powerful newspapers] - they used to claim that “according to their source”, North Korea has masterminded South Korea's candle-lights protests. These media, who allegedly have access to the highly classified information by their “North Korean source”, had no clue on Kim Jong-il's death? What the hell happened to their “source”?

While North Korea has entered a national mourning period which will continue till Dec 29 [ko], some South Korean media came under fire for misusing a certain term in their news reports. Some media have used an honorific term reserved for highly-respected figure in describing Kim Jong-il. Jay H. Lim (@Narciman) tweeted [ko]:

김정일 국방위원장의 사망에 대해서 ‘서거'라는 표현은 왠지 어색합니다. 북한 주민들에게나 대한민국 국민들에게나 그는 ‘서거'라는 높임말이 어울리는 인물이 아닙니다. 그냥 ‘사망'이라고 표현하면 좋겠습니다…

Using the word “Seo-geo” [note: extremely formal word for “deceased”] on Kim Jong-il's death felt so awkward. To South Korean citizen or even to (some) North Korean people, he is not the one worthy of this honorific terms. Just say he has “passed away”.

But still, people asked the government to be extra careful and sensitive in responding to Kim's death. Yu Chang-seon(@changseon) tweeted [ko]:

북한은 지금 상중이다. 거기다 대고 ‘적의 도발시 응징' 운운하는 것은 예의가 아니다. 자신들이 상을 당해 슬퍼할때상대가 어떠했는지는 두고두고 기억에 남게되어있다. 정부는 지혜롭게 대처해야 한다.

North Korea is in the middle of the mourning period. It is not courtesy to make comments such as “we will punish the enemy in case of a provocation” and such and such. People tend to remember how you behaved when they suffered a loss. The (South Korean) government should react wisely.

Seo Eun-ah(@eunah386) commented [ko] on North Korean responses:

CNN에 북한주민들의 반응이 나오는데, 넘 슬프게 운다. 갑자기 중학교때 박정희가 죽었을 때 수업 들어오자 마자 미친듯이 통곡하던 윤리선생과 나도 모르게 미친듯이 울었던 내가 떠오른다. 공통점이 있지 않을까?

I am watching now North Korean people's responses on CNN and people are sobbing so badly. I remember the time when our former South Korean President Part Jung-hee met an untimely death. That day, my ethics teacher, who had just entered the classroom, cried out loud like a crazy person and I also started sobbing really hard. Is there any similarity between (how people react to) these two cases?

A North Korean economy specialist, Yoon Jae-won (@yjw23_kseri) tweeted [ko] his analysis (the following is the second, of two points he made):

2) 그러나 김일성 사망당시에도 대부분의 외부전문가들이 북한붕괴 월단위로 계산했던 것 생각하면 속단하긴 어렵습니다. 당시 소련붕괴, 고난의 행군, 김일성 사망이라는 3대 악재에 북한 붕괴가 자연스러운 현상이었으나 북한은 붕괴하지 않았습니다.

2) But we cannot jump to conclusions that the North Korean regime will soon collapse. Even after Kim Il-Sung's [the founding father] death and despite North Korean specialists' predictions that it would takes only few months for North Korea to collapse, the country survived. Three misfortunes, the meltdown of Soviet Union, the hunger strike and Kim Il-Sung's death all happened at the same time, and it seemed only natural for North Korea to collapse, but it did not.

As people tweet and blog increasingly about the death of Kim, the South Korean Communications Standards Commission has warned [ko] that they will start censoring pro-North Korean comments or posts.

South Korea: North Korean Dictator, Kim Jong Il Is Dead

Lee Yoo Eun — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 06:15:46 +0000

Kim Jong Il, the North Korean dictator who ruled the hermit kingdom for the past three decades, has died at the age of 69. According to North Korean state television's official report on Monday, Kim passed away from “mental and physical strain” during a train ride on December 17, 2011.

The South Korean Twittersphere erupted with various responses. Although the death of one of the world's most notorious dictators is something people might welcome, most South Koreans have expressed concern about the instability his sudden death might bring to Korean peninsula.

The South Korean public's initial response to the news was pure shock. Son Byung-gwan(@sonkiza), a reporter from the South Korean citizen media site Ohmynews, tweeted [ko]:

북한, 김정일 사망 속보… 너무 큰 뉴스라서 편집국도 어리둥절

North Korea reported a breaking story on Kim Jong-il's death. The story is such a huge news even our company's ‘news desk' was bewildered.

Kim Gil-su (@yourKGS) tweeted [ko]:

김정일 사망 소식에 속이 후련한 것보다 걱정이 앞네요. 나이가 들어서인가봐요.

Instead of feeling relieved, I feel concerned by the news on Kim Jong-il's death. It is probably because I am an old man.

Many on Twitter also worried that the ongoing allegations of election fraud by the ruling party would be eclipsed by the news. @photo_jjang tweeted [ko]:

모든 언론사 홈페이지에 올라온 김정일 사망소식 뉴스…. 그 밑에 이슈들은 다 묻히는겁니다

On all media companies' homepages, Kim Jong-il's death made headlines… which means all the other issues (displayed below that news) will be ignored.

After the initial wave of shock, many on Twitter started blaming the South Korean government for its slow reaction. It is believed that they had no clue about Kim's death for over 50 hours. For now, South Korean President Lee has ordered a state of emergency. Barry Lee (@barry_lee) tweeted [ko]:

김정일이 죽은게 17일인데 이명박은 17, 18일에 방일을 했군요.정말 몰랐다면 정보력이 개판이라는 소리고 알고도 다녀왔다면 위기 대응 능력이 개판이라는 소리군요. […]

Kim died on Dec 17. And President Lee Myung-bak was visiting Japan from Dec 17 to 18. If President Lee had not really heard the news, that means the South Korean government's intelligence is really awful. Or if he had known about the news, that would mean he is really lousy at risk-management.

South Korea's Twitter timeline was filled with speculations on the future of North Korea and its impact on the peace of Korean peninsula.Twitterer CafeVine (@CafeVine) tweeted[ko]:

가장 큰 불안요소는 북한 군부의 소요 가능성이 아니라 주변 강대국의 정치 계산에 의한 움직임과 북한 민중의 반응이 아닐까 싶다. 북한 군부가 흐트러지는 틈을 타 대규모 탈북 움직임이 일어난다면… 위험하다.

The elements which cause great instability are NOT the chance of commotion within the North Korean military, BUT the change of political situation of Korean peninsula by adjacent strong countries' moves and also reactions by the North Korean citizen. What if there is a sudden increase of North Korean defectors because its military has become unstable? That can be dangerous.

@trimutri100 expressed concern over North Korea's inexperienced, 27-year-old heir, Kim Jong-un:

북한은 진정 큰일이구나. 그 햇병아리가 정권을 제대로 인수할리도 없고, 차라리 김정남이 긴급 호출되는게 아닐까?

North Korea is in real crisis. That fledgling (referring to Kim Jong-un) would never be able to smoothly succeed the regime… Is there a chance they would send an emergency call for help to Kim Jung-nam [the eldest son of Kim Jong-il]?

Later he expressed the opinion [ko] that the fact the news was broken by North Korea's state media means that situation is fairly under control:

북한이 발표를 했다는 건, 권력구도가 최소한 어느 정도는 교통정리가 되었다는 이야기다. 문제는, 그게 누구냐는거다.

The fact that the North Korea announced the news means that the power transition has taken a fairly good shape. But the remaining problem here is WHO has taken the power…

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Live Stream of North Korean State TV is Down

Lee Yoo Eun — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 12:37:25 +0000

The North Korea Tech blog reports the live stream of KCTV, North Korea's state television, has halted due to heavy web traffic.The blogger adds that his last week’s report on the live streaming service has brought the issue to the attention of the media.