Supreme Court upholds acquittal of activist who sent letter praising late North Korean leader
Published: 31 Dec. 2025, 11:01
Updated: 31 Dec. 2025, 16:59
![A statue of former North Korean leader Kim Jong-il in North Korea [RODONG SINMUN]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/12/31/d659f6b9-d3fb-4fae-86e5-4826020ca1da.jpg)
A statue of former North Korean leader Kim Jong-il in North Korea [RODONG SINMUN]
The Supreme Court has confirmed an acquittal of the head of an inter-Korean exchange group who sent a letter praising the late North Korean leader Kim Jong-il when he was alive and a condolence wreath after his death more than a decade ago, officials said on Wednesday.
On Dec. 4, the top court upheld a lower court ruling that found Kim Kyung-sung, the chief of the inter-Korean sports exchange association, not guilty of violating the National Security Act, which prohibits praising an antistate organization or its members.
The association chief was earlier indicted on charges of handing a letter to a North Korean official in February 2010 in time for the then-North Korean leader's birthday and sending the wreath to the North Korean Embassy in China after his death in December 2011.
While Kim Kyung-sung was initially found guilty of violating the law, an appellate court later struck down the ruling, saying it was not clearly proven whether the defendant's actions posed a “clear danger” to the state or the liberal democratic order.
The court, however, fined him 10 million won ($6,950) on separate charges of embezzling donations in 2013, giving football shoes worth 60 million won to the North without the unification minister's approval in 2015 and sending about $300,000 to China without reporting it to customs in the same year.
While both the prosecution and the defendant filed for an appeal, the Supreme Court confirmed the ruling, stating it did not find any issues with the verdict.
Yonhap
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
To write comments, please log in to one of the accounts.
Standards Board Policy (0/250자)