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Man given suspended sentence for repeatedly praising North Korea

Published: 10 Aug. 2025, 13:09 Updated: 10 Aug. 2025, 18:54

[KOREA JOONGANG DAILY]

A man who repeatedly posted messages on Facebook defending the North Korean regime and praising North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was given a suspended prison sentence in his first trial.

The Suwon District Court’s Criminal Division 3 sentenced the man to one year in prison, suspended for two years, for violating the National Security Act by praising and propagating an antistate group, according to legal sources on Saturday. The court also ordered probation.

“The man had distributed multiple materials praising the activities of an antistate group through his Facebook account, and, considering the number of posts and the content and methods of expression, the offense is not minor,” said the court. “He also had a prior conviction for the same offense, for which he received a suspended sentence.”

The court found that the man had directly denied the legitimacy of South Korea’s system and posted multiple messages glorifying and defending the North Korean regime, as well as sharing videos deemed pro-North Korean. It determined he intended to praise North Korean activities.

He was indicted for posting an article on Jan. 23, 2022, with a title that roughly translates to “An antipeople society where inequality and privilege based on private ownership are legalized,” which cited a Jan. 21, 2022, editorial from the North's Rodong Sinmun in support of the North Korean socialist system. He also allegedly continued to write messages praising Kim and distributed materials with the intent to praise, propagate or sympathize with North Korean activities through February 2023.

The man argued that he had merely shared a Rodong Sinmun article — typical of North Korea’s propaganda tone — on his personal Facebook page, and that in context, his posts did not amount to praise or propaganda under the National Security Act.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY HAN YOUNG-HYE [[email protected]]