By Lee Kyung-min
A court ordered former National Intelligence Agency (NIS) Chief Won Sei-hoon Wednesday to compensate the Korean Teachers and Educational Workers' Union (KTU) for calling the representative body an organization full of “North Korea sympathizers.”
The Seoul Central District Court ordered Won to pay 10 million won ($9,200) to the union.
The KTU filed a suit against the former spy chief saying that the union as a whole was defamed by his comments targeting the union from 2009 to 2013.
Won wrote on NIS website that, “Activities masterminded by organizations such as the teachers’ union with pro-North Korean political inclinations are still rampant here. Most of them hide their true colors by working alongside religious and civic groups,. I hereby encourage workers to be more active in their efforts to root out such anti-state minds that corrupt our society.”
The court recognized that the union members suffered undue emotional hardship due to Won’s misguided assertion about the union members’ political orientation.
“Won failed to verify his claims. The union members subsequently suffered from substantial hardship as a result of Won calling the whole membership North Korea sympathizers. Won’s remarks led the public to believe that all union members had a treasonous agenda,” the judge said in its ruling.
Won was earlier jailed after being found guilty on charges of masterminding a smear campaign in the run-up to the 2012 presidential election.
The Supreme Court is reviewing his case.