South Korea charges activist over alleged contacts with North Korea

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ISTANBUL (AA) – A local court in South Korea on Wednesday indicted a civic organization activist on charges of making alleged contact with “North Korean spies.”

Prosecutors in the country’s northern Jeolla province said Ha Yeon-ho has been charged with “making unauthorized contact with North Korean spies.”

Ha, who leads Jeonbuk People Movement based in the province, has rejected the allegations, claiming that the “investigation is suppression.”

“Ha Yeon-ho allegedly violated the National Security Law that bans unauthorized contact with North Koreans,” the Jeonju District Prosecutors Office told Yonhap News.

“Ha allegedly met with North Korean agents on several occasions in cities such as Hanoi and Beijing between 2013 and 2019. Ha also emailed them to report about domestic issues,” the prosecutors added.

Ha’s indictment came after the South Korean National Intelligence Service launched an investigation last year into a number of “progressive figures” in Jeolla, southern Gyeongsang province, and Jeju Island.