20s Man Wearing 'Gwangbok Hongkong Sidae Hyukmyeong' T-Shirt Likely to Be First Convicted Under Hong Kong National Security Law

Wearing Anti-Government Protest Slogan T-Shirt in Hong Kong

According to foreign media including Bloomberg on the 16th, a Hong Kong resident who once took to the streets wearing a T-shirt with anti-government protest slogans is expected to become the first person convicted under the Hong Kong version of the National Security Law.

According to reports, Chu Kaipun (27, unemployed) pleaded guilty to incitement at the Kowloon West Court in Hong Kong on the same day. As a result, Chu Kaipun is expected to be the first person convicted under the Hong Kong National Security Law (Article 23 of the Basic Law), which was enacted last March.

Chu Kaipun, who has been detained for three months, is scheduled to be sentenced on the 19th. Foreign media reported that he is likely to receive a prison sentence of several years at most.

In 2020, Hong Kong protesters marched inside a shopping mall in the city holding flags that read "Liberate Hong Kong, Revolution of Our Times" and "Hong Kong Independence."
[Photo by Yonhap News]

On June 12, he was arrested by the police while going to have lunch wearing a black T-shirt with the phrase "Gwong Fuk Heung Gong Si Doi Gaak Ming" (光復香港 時代革命, "Liberate Hong Kong, Revolution of Our Times"). He confessed that he deliberately wore the T-shirt with this phrase because he wanted Hong Kong to return to British colonial rule and hoped others would sympathize with his belief.

"Gwong Fuk Heung Gong Si Doi Gaak Ming" was a representative slogan during the anti-government protests that swept Hong Kong in 2019. On March 23, Hong Kong implemented the National Security Law, which includes 39 security crimes such as secession, subversion, terrorist activities, collusion with foreign forces, and corresponding punishments. This law was created by Hong Kong itself to supplement the Hong Kong Security Law enacted by China in 2020 following large-scale anti-government protests in Hong Kong.

Last year, Chu Kaipun was also arrested at Hong Kong International Airport while wearing a "Gwong Fuk Heung Gong" T-shirt and was sentenced to three months in prison under the Hong Kong Security Law in January.