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Korean-American deported for'pro-NK' remarks
By Kim Se-jeong
Shin Eun-mi is greeted by supporters upon arrival at Los Angeles International Airport, Sunday. / Yonhap
By Kim Se-jeong
Shin Eun-mi, a South Korea-born American citizen, arrived in the U.S. along with her husband Sunday after being deported by the Korean government for her “pro-North Korea” remarks during lectures here and in her book.
The 54-year-old was also banned from visiting Korea for the next five years.
“I love both South and North Korea,” Shin said at the Los Angeles International Airport, where she received contrasting responses from liberal and conservative activists. “I will pray for the reconciliation of the two Koreans and peace on the Korean Peninsula.”
Commenting on the deportation, she said she felt like she was betrayed by a person she had loved. “It was a one-sided love.”
Last week, the prosecution asked the Ministry of Justice to deport her, saying Shin’s “pro-North Korea” comments were a violation of the National Security Law.
The U.S. State Department expressed concern about freedom of expression in Korea.
“We’re concerned that the National Security Law, as interpreted and implied in some cases, limits freedom of expression and restricts access to the Internet,” Jen Psaki, the State Department spokeswoman, said during a press briefing in Washington D.C., Friday.
The main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD) also echoed the concern.
“While sending leaflets is okay because it’s freedom of expression, writing a book about ordinary lives in North Korea is not okay because it violates the law. We’d like to ask if Korea is a true democracy,” said Rep. Kim Sung-gon during a party meeting, Friday.
The prosecution said it chose not to indict the Korean-American because of her nationality and because she made critical comments about the North during questioning.
Shin denied violating the law, arguing that her comments were far from praising the regime and what she did was to promote unification and peace between the two Koreas.
Shin said she was a victim of “political bullying.”
“Many media outlets painted me as a North Korea sympathizer by distorting facts. They ruined my life and relationships. I was even attacked by a person.”
Shin visited North Korea several times between 2011 and 2012. She wrote a book after her trips titled “Korean-American Ajumma Goes to North Korea,” and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism labeled it as recommended reading in 2013.
The prosecution’s investigation began last month after a conservative civic group filed a complaint about her and Hwang Seon, 41, a former deputy speaker of the now-defunct Democratic Labor Party. Both were traveling around the country, speaking about North Korea in November and December.
Hwang has traveled to North Korea twice ― once in 1998 and another in 2005. During her trip in 2005, her baby was born, which prompted many conservatives to believe she was a strong supporter of the regime. The prosecution requested an arrest warrant for Hwang last week.
During one talk last month, a teenager threw an explosive material toward a podium where Shin and Hwang were speaking. The two speakers were not among the injured, and the boy was arrested.