By Lee Hyo-sik

Relaying and posting material sympathetic to North Korea and its leader Kim Jong-il on the Internet is a clear violation of the National Security Law, a court ruled Monday.

The Seoul Central District Court sentenced a 40-year old man, identified only by his surname Lee, to two years in jail, suspended for three years, finding him guilty of disseminating documents and songs praising the communist state and its activities.

It was the first time for an individual to be found guilty of violating the National Security Law for simply uploading a hyperlink on the Internet, which leads those clicking it to documents, songs and other materials lauding North Korea.

In March, the prosecution took Lee into custody and indicted him on charges of posting and disseminating a total of 433 pieces sympathetic to the North. He was accused of uploading hyperlinks on a community cafe on Daum, one of the country’s largest portals.

By clicking the links, Internet users can view pro-North Korean documents and listen to songs praising the communist state and its leader Kim, which were uploaded on a website operated by a private firm.

After reviewing Lee’s court testimony and evidence submitted by the prosecution, including reports by investigators and the records of Lee’s cellular phone and Internet use, the court acknowledged all of the charges filed by the prosecution against him.

“Lee is a first-time offender and deeply regrets what he did. He was not involved in pro-North Korea protests and other offline activities. Given all these factors, he is not deemed to pose a grave threat to society,” the court said in a ruling. “We only considered how he obtained pro-North Korean materials and how he had posted it online when issuing the ruling.”

The National Security Law prevents the distribution of material lauding the North or unauthorized activities sympathetic to the Stalinist regime.