Wangjaesan Spy Ring Official Faces Prison Sentence 12 Years After Indictment

Charged with Possession of 130 Pro-North Korean Materials
Trial Delayed by Constitutional Debate Over Article 7 of the National Security Act

The prosecution has sought a prison sentence for an official from an organization related to the underground group "Wangjaesan," which operated under orders from North Korea, more than 12 years after charges were first filed.

According to Yonhap News on December 20, the Incheon District Prosecutors' Office requested a two-year prison sentence and a three-year suspension of qualifications for Mr. A (45), the secretary-general of a certain organization, who was indicted without detention on charges of praising and promoting North Korea under the National Security Act. The sentencing hearing was held on December 18 at the Incheon District Court, Criminal Division 4 (Presiding Judge Kwak Yeo-san). The prosecution also requested the court to confiscate pro-North Korean materials.

On September 26, 2023, the Chief Justice and Justices of the Constitutional Court are entering the Grand Chamber of the Constitutional Court in Jongno-gu, Seoul, where the constitutional review case on Article 7 of the National Security Act is being held. Photo by Yonhap News

Mr. A was indicted in May 2013 on charges of participating in a vanguard organization that served as the spearhead of "Wangjaesan," uploading North Korean propaganda to the organization’s website, and possessing over 130 pro-North Korean materials containing the Juche ideology of Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il. The prosecution explained that this organization, formed in 2003, was reported to North Korea as the vanguard of Wangjaesan and, in cooperation with the South Korean branch of the Pan-Korean Alliance for Reunification, taught Juche ideology to its members.

The prosecution's investigation also revealed that the organization held anti-American rallies in Incheon in support of North Korean claims and conducted secret retreats to train members with the goal of "securing loyal cadres for the General." However, Mr. A's trial was postponed multiple times over several years because several constitutional reviews were filed regarding Article 7, Paragraphs 1 and 5 (praising and promoting North Korea, possession of pro-North Korean materials) of the National Security Act in 2017.

After the Constitutional Court ruled the relevant provisions constitutional in September 2023, Mr. A's trial resumed, and the arguments concluded on December 18, 12 years and 7 months after the indictment. A prosecution official explained the sentencing request, stating, "Mr. A supported the activities of an anti-state organization and possessed a significant amount of pro-North Korean materials."

Meanwhile, Wangjaesan, which was exposed in 2011, is known to have been an underground organization formed under orders from Department 225, the South Korea operations unit of North Korea's Workers’ Party. Members of Wangjaesan were found guilty of reporting domestic political trends to North Korean agents and distributing pro-North Korean materials, and in July 2013, the Supreme Court finalized prison sentences for them.