South Korea - Repressive Police State

[Tokyoni]

http://rt.com/news/korean-man-arrested-north/

South Korean prosecutors have arrested a man for disseminating pro-North Korean videos and text through social networking services, which is a criminal offence in the republic.
The 54-year-old, surnamed Cho, is charged of 63 counts of breach of the National Security Law by posting online text messages such as “Long live Kim Jong-il, the mighty sun of human beings”, local media report. His Twitter account alone had some 3,000 followers, prosecutors said.

Cho also posted videos and articles copied from North Korea’s official website. He told investigators he was motivated by discontent with South Koran society.

South Korean National Security Law views any pro-North or pro-communist statements as a criminal offence and allows for long prison terms for the crime. The legislation, which was adopted back in 1948, was widely used to suppress dissent and trade union movements during the dictatorship period of its history. Despite many calls to abolish or reform the controversial code, an attempt to do so failed in 2004 [...]

I'm sure LiNK will get right on this one.

Here we have a truly heroic man speaking out against what he sees as a repressive regime, only to be silenced by the butal repression of a police state. Regardless of one's stance on the political spectrum, one and all must recognize Cho as a truly heroic being standing up for freedom of speech against an antiquated system of repression dating back to the borderline-fascist Republic of Korea founded by American imperialists.

How long will neo-liberals continue in their hypocritical stand against the North when a heroic man in the "free" South faces such heavy charges for speaking his mind. I suppose "free speech" is only to be valued when it is pro-American.

[Wamitoria]

And if North Korea did this to somebody posting pro-South Korean videos on the internet, it would be punishing the fascists and preserving the revolution.

[NERVUN]

Teh irony, it burns us...

[Vetalia]

In the North, he would have been tortured and put to rot in a prison camp, if not summarily executed without trial or due process...and there would be no way in hell anyone could seriously attempt to repeal a law they disagreed with whatsoever.

Maybe they should just deport him to North Korea. That's a fate worse than death.

[Tokyoni]

Teh irony, it burns us...

Irony goes both ways.

I've never claimed the DPRK to be a paragon of neo-liberalist virtues, as I don't support neo-liberalism myself.

I just find it rather ironic that the folks in LiNK and the like bitch and moan about "lack of freedom of speech" in the North when the same bloody thing is occurring in the South. At least be consistent in your cthulhu-damned ideology.

[The Grand World Order]

I dunno, if you can get away with this sort of shit in South Korea, I hardly think it's a police state.

[Jimanistan]

Seems a touch extreme, to say the least. In fact, it's entirely indefensible.

This certainly doesn't make the other Korea any better, though, what with the ironic lack of "Peace, Land, and Bread."

[Dinosaurana]

Pro-South Korean protesters in the North would be utterly and brutally tortured and executed.

Because after all, North Korea is Best Korea.

[Meowfoundland]

Of course they'd react. He's spreading opinions supporting the enemy during a war. What would happen if he was in the north, spreading pro-southern views?

[The Merchant Republics]

Oh, I do love a good satire...
...
...
*butler whispers in ear*
...
Oh, well I do love a good hypocritical irony too.

South Korea is by far freer then North Korea, not to mention better and while it is a shame that they would censor someone in such a way, it does not at all constitute a repressive police state.

[Wamitoria]

I dunno, if you can get away with this sort of shit in South Korea, I hardly think it's a police state.

[Dinosaurana]

South Korea is indeed a repressive Police Slave state only slightly freer then North Korea in matters of economic independence of the individual.

Give Korea back to Japan, the only chaps who could manage to civilise the people.

And maybe this time, they won't enslave and exploit them.

[Wamitoria]

South Korea is indeed a repressive Police Slave state only slightly freer then North Korea in matters of economic independence of the individual.

Give Korea back to Japan, the only chaps who could manage to civilise the people.

And maybe this time, they won't enslave and exploit them.

I doubt Nick has a problem with that.

[NERVUN]

Teh irony, it burns us...

Irony goes both ways.

I've never claimed the DPRK to be a paragon of neo-liberalist virtues, as I don't support neo-liberalism myself.

I just find it rather ironic that the folks in LiNK and the like bitch and moan about "lack of freedom of speech" in the North when the same bloody thing is occurring in the South. At least be consistent in your cthulhu-damned ideology.

Actually I refering more about you.

You have asked us to censor people for saying things you dislike about North Korea. You're hardly the one to champion the cause of freedom of speech.

[Ethel mermania]

Pro-South Korean protesters in the North would be utterly and brutally tortured and executed.

Because after all, North Korea is Best Korea.

^this

the north koreans march so much better than the southerners.

[The Soviet Technocracy]

Better than the commies in the North, but still fucking insane. Both Koreas are pretty goddamn backwards as far as civil rights is concerned, but then again most of Asia is like that as well. I'd still rather live in the capitalist South than the communist North. At least one of these countries isn't totally and utterly backwards (hint: It's not the North).

[Tokyoni]

I dunno, if you can get away with this sort of shit in South Korea, I hardly think it's a police state.

Considering the history of police actions in South Korea, I'd say that's damn heroic of the protestors - the pigs had it a long time coming.

And the fact that there were so many, so heavily armed police there effectively proves my point anyhow.

[Wamitoria]

I dunno, if you can get away with this sort of shit in South Korea, I hardly think it's a police state.

Considering the history of police actions in South Korea, I'd say that's damn heroic of the protestors - the pigs had it a long time coming.

And the fact that there were so many, so heavily armed police there effectively proves my point anyhow.

A police state would have just shot the protesters.

[Dinosaurana]

And maybe this time, they won't enslave and exploit them.

The Japanese banned slavery, what say you?

Exploitation is part of the give and take that makes Capitalism great.

Or at least make Korean women sex slaves for the Japanese soldiers' pleasure.

[Hydesland]

same bloody thing is occurring in the South.

No, it's not the same bloody thing. In NK, 22 people get executed for accidentally temporarily crossing the border on a fishing boat. In the South, someone who distributes anti SK propaganda gets.. a prison sentence. Whereas if the same thing happened in NK... I shudder to think. Nobody says that SK is perfect, only that it's significantly better than NK, and that it would be better if NK was more like SK.

[The Grand World Order]

I dunno, if you can get away with this sort of shit in South Korea, I hardly think it's a police state.

Considering the history of police actions in South Korea, I'd say that's damn heroic of the protestors - the pigs had it a long time coming.

And the fact that there were so many, so heavily armed police there effectively proves my point anyhow.

armed with a stick and non-ballistic impact armor is not "heavily armed"

[Occupied Deutschland]

Okay, let me start by saying this is damn hypocritical. Let me go on however to say it is mildly understandable. SOuth Korea has had a number of issues with spies and general troublemakers coming over the border in order to foment revolution. Seeing as how said revolution would result in starvation death and brutalization...Mildly understandable. Still disgusting, but the human rights issue is a bit relative.

[Tokyoni]

Irony goes both ways.

I've never claimed the DPRK to be a paragon of neo-liberalist virtues, as I don't support neo-liberalism myself.

I just find it rather ironic that the folks in LiNK and the like bitch and moan about "lack of freedom of speech" in the North when the same bloody thing is occurring in the South. At least be consistent in your cthulhu-damned ideology.

Actually I refering more about you.

You have asked us to censor people for saying things you dislike about North Korea. You're hardly the one to champion the cause of freedom of speech.

I'm not a neo-liberalist.

"Ideas are more dangerous than guns. We would not allow our enemies to have guns, why then should we let them have ideas?"

Call me crazy, but I really can't fit into the mindset that things like the right to cast a single vote or make some small whisper of free speech against a torrent of corporate media somehow are more important than freedom from exploitation of the capitalist system. I'd gladly sacrifice the almost entirely futile former "rights" for the latter.

Not that I oppose either per se in and of themselves. I just don't see the strategic value in promoting them while not promoting the much more fundmantal freedom. Seems to me about as pointless as giving a million dollars to an inmate on death row scheduled to be executed in a day. Nice in itself, but effectively pointless in the context of lacking a much greater good.

That musing all aside, my point is. I don't champion "free speech", "the right to vote", and other such neo-liberalist values as if they're the gospel truth that all nations of the world need to accept and if they somehow do, the world would be a paradise - and fight exploitative wars to that end. That's not my ideology.

I'm just trying to understand the mental gymnastics those who DO espouse such an ideology would have to go through to support a nation that's effectively taking a shit on their espoused "freedoms". Not that it's the first time by any means...

[Hydesland]

Call me crazy, but I really can't fit into the mindset that things like the right to cast a single vote or make some small whisper of free speech against a torrent of corporate media somehow are more important

How about the freedom for women to not get fucking shot in the head if they accidentally cross a fucking arbitrary line in the sand.

than freedom from exploitation of the capitalist system.

NK is the most exploitative government on earth, brainwashing their followers to worship a deceased tyrant to opiate against the fact that North Korea is a slave state.

[Tokyoni]

Considering the history of police actions in South Korea, I'd say that's damn heroic of the protestors - the pigs had it a long time coming.

And the fact that there were so many, so heavily armed police there effectively proves my point anyhow.

armed with a stick and non-ballistic impact armor is not "heavily armed"

Perhaps. But after what the pigs did to Cheju, Yosu, several other cities, students and labor unions, they have it bloody coming.