By Kim Tae-gyu
Staff Reporter
As far as the protection of free speech is concerned, the main association of European business leaders working here seems to be critical about the Lee Myung-bak administration.
BY inviting Korean Internet pundit Park Dae-sung to its annual Economy Forecast seminar slated for late next month, the European Union Chamber of Commerce in Korea (EUCCK) has indirectly criticized the government.
The 31-year-old Park, better known as his pen name ``Minerva,'' was arrested early this year on charges of circulating false rumors in cyberspace but was exonerated in April. The prosecutors appealed the court decision, though.
In the English-language invitation letter, it noted ``The EUCCK has closely followed your court case as the leading Internet economic pundit Minerva. We truly consider freedom of speech as a fundamental right of any democratic society.''
In the Korean-language version, the chamber was more straightforward in criticizing the Seoul administration, saying that Park's acquittal represents freedom of speech, which is a basic right of democracy.
In response, Park said that he plans to deliver a speech during the EUCCK seminar to comment on digital democracy.
``In the analogue era, Western countries took the lead in developing democracy. But in the digital world, we should take the initiative in establishing free speech rights in a way that is aligned with the new period, since we are advanced in information technology,'' Park said.
``We could set up a good example or a bad one. In my case, I think it was a bad one although we still need to learn lessons from the bad decision,'' he said.
When contacted, the EUCCK said that it did not mean to criticize the government for arresting or prosecuting Park.
``It was a kind of official greeting, like we are glad that you are free and nothing more than that. We did not intend at all to take issue with the government's apprehension or prosecution of Park,'' an EUCCK spokesperson said.
Park emerged last year as an Internet commentator on economic issues by correctly predicting the collapse of Lehman Brothers as well as the sharp depreciation of the Korean won.
The self-taught amateur economist was arrested early this January on charges of spreading rumors that the government had forced local banks and exporters to stop purchasing dollars last December in a bid to stop the won's fall.
Later, a lawmaker countered the prosecution by saying that the finance ministry indeed asked banks not to snap up dollars en masse at the year's end when a proper exchange rate was necessary for Korean firms for accounting reasons.
He was vindicated by the court in April but the prosecutors appealed the verdict. The lawsuit is likely to continue for several years.
After the arrest, Park stopped writing but has resumed work of late. He is contributing to local dailies at a brisk pace and has published a book. He also plans to start blogging again.