A South Korean blogger has been jailed and denied bail for posting false information on the internet.
The blogger, Park Dae-sung, goes by the name “Minerva” online. He had accurately predicted several economic developments over the last months, including the demise of Lehman Brothers.
The 31-year-old blogger is an unemployed Seoul resident who studied economics.
In the Denver Post, the reasons for his detention were explained.
Prosecutors said he went too far in saying on an online discussion site that the government had banned major financial institutions and trade businesses from purchasing U.S. dollars in an apparent move to shore up the local currency, calling it inaccurate information that disrupted the foreign exchange market.
Park had been highly critical of the government and its economic policies. His identity was a topic of online discussion over the past year. Some guessed he was an economic expert.
Park has been refused bail because he is considered a risk of fleeing or destroying evidence. If convicted of spreading false information, he faces up to five years in prison and a $40,000 fine.
The harsh treatment Park is receiving suggests his writings have riled the ire of some high government officials. They are probably a bit embarrassed that an unemployed, former economics student knows more than they do.
This is supported by a statement by Park Chan-jong, a lawyer and former lawmaker quoted in The Korea Times.
“At the time of Park’s detention, it was unconfirmed whether the Finance Ministry had pressured foreign currency dealers here not to buy dollars to stop the Korean currency’s fall against the greenback. But now it has been confirmed. Therefore, Park’s Dec. 29 article delivered correct information,” he said.
Park’s arrest has caused widespread discussion and consternation online. South Korea is one of the world’s most wired countries.
The end result is likely to make the South Korean government the loser. International critics point out that the countries that detain bloggers are Egypt, China and Iran. A tech-savy nation like South Korea does not belong in that group. Others pointed out that if Park’s arrest is warranted, half the economic professors in the country should be jailed. One critic put it succinctly, “South Korea is starting to look silly for trying to imprison a blogger.”
If this law was applied in the United States, the prisons would be filled with bloggers. Clearly, South Korea may be an impressively wired nation, but its government is still in the twentieth century.
