Ro Su-hui

Ro Su-hui (Korean: 노수희) is a South Korean political activist[1] who was arrested in 2012 for breaking the National Security Act.

This is a Korean name; the family name is Ro.
Ro Su-hui
노수희
NationalitySouth Korean
Criminal chargeViolating National Security Act
Penalty4 years in prison, followed by 3 years of stripped suffrage

Political activity

Ro is the vice-chairman of the South Headquarters of the Pan-national Alliance for Korea's Reunification (Pomminryon).[2] He was described by NBC News as "a leader of a South Korean group that has maintained friendly ties with North Korean groups".[3]

Arrest and prosecution

Ro was arrested in July 2012 after he returned from an unauthorized visit to North Korea, via the Joint Security Area (JSA) in Panmunjom, where he called for the reunification of the two Koreas and bitterly criticized President Lee Myung-bak of South Korea for his hard-line North Korea policy.[4][5] At the JSA, he was sent off by a large group of North Korean civilians waving the flag of reunified Korea and carrying bouquets of flowers. Associated Press film footage of the vent showed Ro's approach to the border-line while a large group of South Korean security officials, South Korean Army personnel assigned to the Joint Security Area (JSA) and military policemen already awaiting his crossing in preparation for his arrest.[6] As he set foot back in South Korea, he was immediately seized and carried away (he had struggled violently with his captors), while the by-now furious North Koreans behind the border hurled insults at and fiercely protested the action. No North Korean border guards present intervened. He had entered North Korea via China in March for a memorial service marking the 100th day since the death of ruler Kim Jong-il.[7] In February 2013, he was sentenced to four years in prison, and the Seoul Central District Court also ordered that his rights, such as suffrage, be stripped for three years after his release from prison.[2] He was released from prison in July 2016.

The court ruling said "stern punishment is inevitable because [Ro] made a secret visit to North Korea without permission". Another activist, Won Jin-wook, received a three-year prison sentence for communicating with North Korean officials to arrange Ro's trip.[7]

Reactions

The arrest of Ro was described by American-based NK News as "a clear but unnecessary propaganda victory" for North Korea.[8] An article in The Guardian mused: "The arrest made a very small splash in the western media, which comes as little surprise because a story with a warm North and a cold South is doesn't square easily with the message that has been delivered by media outlets in Europe and the US for the last two decades."[9]

North Korea's state news agency said the "arrest has pushed the people in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea [North Korea] into fury" and described it as an abuse of human rights.[10]

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References
  1. "Südkoreaner nach Rückkehr aus Nordkorea verhaftet" [South Korean arrested after returning from North Korea]. Der Spiegel (in German). 5 July 2012. Retrieved 2 March 2015.
  2. "Pro-N. Korean activist gets jail term for illegal trip to Pyongyang". Yonhap News. 8 February 2013. Retrieved 2 March 2015.
  3. "South Korea activist arrested as he steps across border on return from North". NBC News. 5 July 2012. Retrieved 2 March 2015.
  4. "South Korea Arrests Activist After Unauthorized Trip to North". New York Times. 5 July 2012. Retrieved 2 March 2015.
  5. "South Korean unification activist arrested on return from N Korea". BBC News. 6 July 2012. Retrieved 2 March 2015.
  6. Associated Press Archive (July 31, 2015). "SKorean activist No Su-hui arrested as he returns from unauthorised trip to the North - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 2020-08-06.
  7. "South Korean activists jailed for visit to North". South China Morning Post. 8 February 2013. Retrieved 2 March 2015.
  8. "An Unnecessary Propaganda Victory for Pyongyang". NK News. 6 July 2012. Retrieved 2 March 2015.
  9. "South Korea good, North Korea bad? Not a very useful outlook". The Guardian. 19 July 2012. Retrieved 2 March 2015.
  10. "DPRK People Enraged at S. Korean Regime's Abuse of Human Rights". KCNA. 7 July 2012. Archived from the original on 12 October 2014. Retrieved 2 March 2015.
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