Members of the Democratic Laborers Union marched down to the Seodaemun District (Seoul) police station last month to protest against the police investigation into some of its members under the National Security Law, as well as calling for a ban on the law. The law essentially forbids any interest or mention of anything that could possibly be seen as pro-North Korean, and recently there have been several cases of Koreans re-tweeting messages from the North’s official Twitter account, leading to their arrests. Some even say the National Security Law is a breach of their freedom of speech. Netizens were quick to condemn the Seoul-based protest, becoming one of the most discussed stories on the Korean portal site Nate.
Comments from Nate:
안현수:
We should get rid of the National Security Law? Are they insane? It seems they have no brain
임일주:
Is it ok for me to brand them as commies?
차준헌:
Are they saying we should think about abolishing the National Security Law? Though I don’t have any political inclination, I really think it’s not a good idea to get rid of the law. They can just be seen as nothing but idiots.
진영훈:
LOL This debate is pointless – to agree with those who don’t cause trouble because of the National Security Law: yes, but to agree with those who cause trouble at least once because of the law: no!
한울:
If we abolish the National Security Law, have they thought of what will happen? North Korea demands the withdrawal of US troops stationed in Korea and were we to abolish the National Security Law, they would make the most of the opportunity, with a high possibility of them sending spies, stirring up trouble in the South. [On February 2nd, the North issued an ‘open questionnaire’ to the South, with nine demands, one of which being the removal of US troops in Korea]. We should never abolish the National Security Law.
고요섭:
Those bastards should be run over by tanks.
조재우:
Are they out of their minds?
구자일:
To my fellow citizens. The Democratic Labor Party (DLP) has read the act [of the law] hasn’t it? Those traitors want the following, firstly to abolish the Anticommunist Law. Here is the Republic of Korea, a democratic republic. Accordingly, would it also [kindly] pluck out the DLP, who are crying out for the abolishment of the National Security Law? From now on, let’s get rid of the seed [which will grow into something bigger, the ‘seed’ being the DLP]. We should never vote for the DLP.
이용은:
Let’s catch them all, seize their belongings, and send them up [North]!
박진호:
Are they not crazy? When it comes to thinking about the preservation of peace for our country, they really are complacent.
