The Constitutional Court ruled as unconstitutional...

The Constitutional Court ruled as unconstitutional a clause in the National Security Law allowing the death penalty to be imposed on those found guilty of repeatedly praising North Korea, or encouraging others to do so. The court made its ruling after reviewing a case filed by Seoul District Court in which the accused, identified by his surname Hong, was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment with a three-year suspension in April 1999 for violating the law by selling "ideological" books deemed to praise the North or judged likely to encourage readers to do so. However, Hong again violated Clause 13 of the law during the suspension. "The clause has lost its justification in terms of balance in the criminal law system as it allows the death penalty to be imposed on Hong, who committed a relatively light crime," the court said in its ruling.