Broker Naver and Coupang Also Cleared
Police: "Not Traitorous Material Threatening National Existence"
Two business operators who sold T-shirts printed with the phrase "Dongmu kkotgilman georeurau" and an image of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's face, and Naver and Coupang, which mediated the sale of the products, were cleared of charges under the National Security Act.
On the 8th, the Security Investigation Unit of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency announced that it had dismissed the charges and decided not to prosecute A and B, who operated the parody clothing sales business, as well as Naver and Coupang, which mediated the product sales. Since 2022, A and B had sold T-shirts printed with Kim’s face and the phrase "Dongmu kkotgilman georeurau" through Naver Smart Store and Coupang.
In August of last year, six conservative groups including the Public Authority Surveillance Center and the Barun Society Citizens' Association filed a complaint against these clothing sellers and Naver and Coupang for violating Article 7 of the National Security Act (production and sale of pro-North Korean materials), accusing them of glorifying and praising the leader of an anti-state organization.
The conservative groups who filed the complaint stated, "These T-shirts go beyond promoting intimacy toward Kim Jong-un and glorify and propagate the leader of an anti-state organization, which could ultimately endanger the free democratic basic order."
They also claimed that Coupang and Naver, as intermediaries in online sales, "allowed the sale of Kim Jong-un T-shirts by the accused, thereby participating in the sales in the form of mediation," and that "this justifies the sale of pro-North Korean materials and constitutes a violation of the National Security Act by failing to restrain the accused's criminal acts."
At the time, a company representative explained, "Parody T-shirts featuring various characters and phrases have become a popular 'meme,' and the Kim Jong-un T-shirt was just one of them, with no intention to glorify or propagate Kim Jong-un."
After the complaint, A and B stopped selling the T-shirts, and Naver and Coupang agreed to immediately delete related posts when they appear.
The police closed the investigation with no charges, stating, "It is difficult to view the T-shirts as active and aggressive pro-North Korean materials that threaten the existence and security of the state." They also explained, "It appears that the sellers sold them for profit and livelihood purposes."
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