Police have arrested and investigated three former and current reporters from the pro-North Korean online media 'Jaju Sibo' on charges of violating the National Security Law.
The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency and the North Gyeongsang Provincial Police Agency announced that they arrested three reporters from Jaju Sibo, who are charged with praising and encouraging under the National Security Law, on the morning of the 1st. They were released after completing their investigations in the afternoon.
Former reporter Mr. Park and current reporter Mr. Kim were arrested in Seoul, while current reporter Mr. Moon was arrested in North Gyeongsang. The National Security Law prohibits anyone from praising, encouraging, promoting, or sympathizing with the activities of anti-state organizations or their members, or those who receive instructions from such entities, knowing that it endangers the existence and safety of the state or the basic order of liberal democracy.
They reported articles that communicated North Korea's situation and jeopardized the Korea-U.S. alliance until recently. Mr. Moon wrote articles reporting the news about the unveiling of North Korea's new artillery shell factory and that the U.S. government was intervening in domestic affairs during a state of emergency.
The police believe that their articles amplify and reproduce North Korea's claims, conducted a search and seizure against them and Jaju Sibo's representative Mr. Kim last October. The police later requested their attendance for questioning, but they failed to appear more than three times, leading to the execution of an arrest warrant that day. After completing the investigation into Mr. Park and others, the police released them in the afternoon.