By Kang Shin-who
More alert than ever before, police have began investigating an Internet cafe for praising North Korea after the communist state committed a ruthless attack by shelling Yeonpyeong Island.
A number of compliments to North Korea were posted on the online community named “Cyber headquarters for people’s defense,” on Naver, the country’s No. 1 portal site. Members of the community have immediately drawn huge criticism online. A lot of angered netizens attacked the community with postings denouncing the cafe members. In response, the cafe manager removed all the critical postings.
According to the National Police Agency, the site is under investigation for violating the National Security Law, which prohibits praising or sympathizing with the communist state.
The cafe manager, “Hwang Gil-gyeong,” wrote, “The commander Kim Jung-un is doing it. You need wisdom to be always be alert and prepared,” under the title of “Everybody, you were very nervous yesterday?”
The message was echoed by other postings written by the online community members. One of them reads, “The general in command will proceed without the slightest glitch in full accordance with the North’s timeline.” Another posting said, “Do not mind the lives of hostages. We are confident that you will achieve your great feat.”
Police will punish Internet community members who wrote postings praising North Korea with the purpose of benefiting the North. A police officer said the Internet cafe was first operated on another portal, Daum, and closed in 2002, but reopened in 2007 at the current portal site. It has about 6,500 members. One of the members is in his 40s and was indicted last month on charges of spreading pro-North Korea propaganda.
North Korea’s attack on the island, Tuesday, the first of its kind targeting civilians since the Korean War, killed two marines and two civilians and wounded 18 others. The Korean War ended in 1953 in a truce, without a peace treaty and the two Koreas are still technically at war.