Park Jung-geun explained

Park Jung-geun
Native Name:
Child:yes
Hangul:박정근
Hanja:朴正根
Rr:Bak Jeong-geun
Mr:Pak Jŏng'gŭn
Birth Date:18 March 1988
Birth Place:Seongbuk District, Seoul, South Korea
Nationality:South Korean
Occupation:Indie musician, photographer
Organization:Bissantrophy Records (2005–)
Jarip Musician Union (2010–)
Party:labor Party (2013–)
New Progressive Party (2013)
Socialist Party (2010–2013)
Awards:Face of the Year Award (2012)[1]

Park Jung-geun (pronounced as /ko/) is a South Korean photographer. He received a suspended 10-month prison term for violating South Korean National Security Law by resending North Korean tweets.[2] [3]

He claimed that the Twitter posts he made that were used to convict him were sarcastic, and that the case built against him selected only certain tweets that made him look bad.[4] [5] Others have called his tweets satire.[6]

He was eventually acquitted.[7]

Amnesty International criticised his arrest and pointed out that although he was a socialist, he was not a supporter of North Korea.[8] Park also criticised the National Security Act, calling it "an old-fashioned draconian law that mentions DEATH EIGHT TIMES".[9]

Park has been connected with various activist causes, such as the eviction protest at Duriban restaurant in Hongdae, an evictee protest in Poi-dong, a "Halve College Tuition" protest, a strike by cleaners at Hongik University, and participated in an illegal protest against layoffs at Hanjin Heavy Industries.[10]

He is also a notable figure from the Korean punk scene, having run the label Bissantrophy[11] which was active from 2005 to 2014.[12] His label was affiliated with Bamseom Pirates and he appeared in the documentary Bamseom Pirates Seoul Inferno. His photo studio in Chungmuro was also used as a live music venue for several years, known colloquially as Jarip HQ.[13]

In 2012, 10 music groups in South Korea created the punk performance piece “North Korean Punk Rocker Rhee Sung-wung, ”telling the life story of a fictional North Korean punk, at Art Sonje Center, which was a thinly veiled criticism of South Korea's persecution of Park.[14] [15]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: http://www.indieforum.org/xe/index.php?mid=forumnews&search_keyword=%EB%B0%95%EC%A0%95%EA%B7%BC&search_target=title_content&document_srl=77170 . ko:인디포럼2012 '올해의 얼굴'상, 박정근 . Park Jung-geun, Face of the Year Award by Indie Forum 2012 . Korean . Indie Forum . 2012-05-21 . 2014-03-31.
  2. South Korean Gets Suspended Sentence in Twitter Case https://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/22/world/asia/south-korean-man-gets-suspended-sentence-for-tweets.html?smid=fb-share&_r=0 by New York Times
  3. South Korean 'joke' may lead to prison http://edition.cnn.com/2012/07/03/world/asia/south-korea-north-joke/index.html by CNN
  4. Park . Jung-geun . Park Jung-geun's Letter from Jail . Broke in Korea . 4 February 2012 . 14 . 20 .
  5. News: Glionna . John . South Korea security law is used to silence dissent, critics say . 7 July 2021 . 5 February 2012.
  6. News: Pearson . James . To tweet or not to tweet? . 7 July 2021 . 15 June 2012.
  7. News: South Korean man acquitted after retweeting posts by North Korea . 7 July 2021 . Agence France-Presse in Seoul . The Guardian . 28 August 2014.
  8. News: South Korea: Dramatic increase in targeting of people for 'pro-North Korean views' . 7 July 2021 . Amnesty International . 28 November 2012.
  9. Park . Jung-geun . First Draft of a Court Statement . Broke in Korea . 5 February 2012 . 14 . 22 .
  10. Park . Jung-geun . A Letter to His Excellency Mr. President Lee Myung-bak . Broke in Korea . June 2012 . 14 . 18–19 .
  11. News: Dunbar . Jon . Punks, not politicians . 7 July 2021 . . 22 December 2017.
  12. Web site: Bissantrophy Records . Discogs . 7 July 2021.
  13. News: White . Ian . GBN Live House releases 42-band CD to survive plague, flood . 7 July 2021 . . 26 May 2020.
  14. News: Eperjesi . John . North Korean Punk Rock Legend Rhee Appears in Seoul . 7 July 2021 . Huffington Post . 6 December 2017.
  15. News: Noh . Hyun-gi . Meet 'North Korean' rock star Rhee . 7 July 2021 . . 16 March 2012.