Professor Censured for Pro-North Bias

Kang Jeong-gu, a professor at Dongguk University, who has aroused keen public controversy by writing an article saying that the Korean War was a unification war, was convicted of making pro-North Korean statements.

However, the court sentenced him to one year’s probation, saying that the conviction is significant enough as Korean society is mature enough to correct Professor Kang’s statements through debate.

Judge Kim Jin-dong, a criminal case judge at Seoul District Court sentenced Kang, who was indicted for writing pro-North articles on the internet, to two years in jail with a suspended sentence of three years, and disqualified him for two years.

If this sentence is confirmed, Professor Kang will lose his professor title according to the National Public Service Personnel Law and Private School Law.

‘Denial of permanency of the Republic of Korea’-

The judicial authorities, regarding the eight pieces that include articles Professor Kang wrote for various media and presentation materials between October 2000 and July 2005, said that they are more provocative and pungent statements than rational scholarly theses.

The authority also said, “His claim that the Korean War would have come to an end in a month had the Americans not interfered means that the Republic of Korea would not exist now due to communism-based unification by North Korea.”

According to the judgment of the authority, this kind of statement clearly one that denies the permanency of the Republic of Korea, but Professor Kang sticks hard to his statement that it leads to a proper result.

The judicial authority added, “This case has to be dealt with a strict application of judicial law because the accused did not surrender or give up his testimony in court.”

Healthy constitutionalism-

The judicial authority said, “It is the court’s judgment that a sentence of probation is significant enough as Korean society is so secure and mature about constitutionalism that the statements of the accused cannot be harmful to the system compared to the past.”

The Judge said, “In a democratic society the illnesses in statements or expressions should primarily be corrected in the competitive market of the thought, and the government should only interfere when the harm is serious.” As to why it sentenced probation, it explained that sentencing him to jail would not be appropriate since discussions had been held whether the National Security Law, which was applied in this case, should be abolished or not.

Conservative organizations opposed-

Professor Kang signified his will to lodge an appeal, saying, “The law follows the standards of its own, but this does not mean that it necessarily corresponds with the nation’s historical needs, social needs, and with universal principles of humanity.”

Right after the sentence was made, 10 or more members of a conservative society made a violent disturbance, calling the authorities names.

Some 60 supporters of Professor Kang, who had attended the trial this day, in trying to hold an assembly in front of the Court building, engaged in a fierce physical struggle when conservative organization members took away and destroyed picket signs and other assembly supplies. The quarrel was halted in half an hour when the security officers from the Court building came out and stopped them.

Meanwhile, the Nationwide Association of Professors for Democratization and the Labor Union of Professors Nationwide criticized this sentence, saying it is an inappropriate judgment which does not suit the current of times represented by trades between the two Koreas. On the other hand, Lawyers for Citizens and Citizens United for a Better Society maintained the judgment.

Dongguk University made it clear that it plans to take human resource management action, and that a conviction is a reason for possible dismissal.

Ji-Seong Jeon verso@donga.com