Jail sentence handed down to person who threatened N. Korean defector

SEOUL, Feb. 5 (Yonhap) -- A Seoul court on Thursday handed down a jail sentence
to a person convicted of threatening a high-profile North Korean defector.
The Seoul Central District Court said there is substantial evidence to implicate
the suspect sent an ax painted with red ink and a warning note to Hwang Jan-yop
in December 2006. Hwang was the former secretary of North Korea's ruling Workers
Party who defected to South Korea in 1997.
The presiding judge, however, said that the suspect, identified only by his
family name Kim, could not be accused of having violated the National Security
Law, since his actions did not directly threaten the country.
The court sentenced Kim to 10 months in jail, a 500,000 won fine and suspension
of civil liberties for one year.
yonngong@yna.co.kr
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