By Kim Tae-jong
Staff Reporter

Four progressive civic group members were arrested Tuesday for allegedly praising North Korea, leading the Solidarity for Practice of the South-North Joint Declaration (SPSNJD) to criticize the National Intelligence Service (NIS) and the prosecution for abusing what they call the outdated National Security Law.

The arrest came following court approval of arrest warrants.

``We concluded the group's activities are a serious threat to the stability of the nation and democratic rules,'' Judge Hong Seung-myeon said. ``Given the suspects' previous records, we also concluded that there is the possibility for them to flee or destroy evidence.''

The four are the group's head Choi Han-wook, former head Kang Jin-gu, and two other officials, Moon Gyeong-hwan and Kwak Dong-gi.

They were charged with opening an exclusive pro-North chat room on the group's Web site _ restricted to certified members ― and releasing North Korean press material to praise the Stalinist country at the expense of the South. Prosecutors raided the office of the group in Samseong-dong, Seoul, and the officials' houses. They sought the arrest warrants at the request of the NIS.

The SPSNJD attacked the court's decision, claiming that the move was the suppression of a grassroots effort for the unification of the divided nation.

``How can it be a threat to the nation for us to lead movements to support the June 15 Joint Declaration by the two Koreas in the hope for reunification and to share what we study about the North with citizens?'' it said. ``The NIS is abusing the security law.''

The group said it will hold a demonstration against the Lee Myung-bak administration and call for the resignation of the president, claiming that the conservative government opposes unification.

e3dward@koreatimes.co.kr