Acquitted blogger says plans to continue writing on economy

SEOUL, April 21 (Yonhap) -- A controversial online pundit who has been cleared of
charges of allegedly spreading false information on the government's economic
policies said Tuesday that he plans to continue sharing his views on the economy
in the future.
Park Dae-sung, 30, better known by his Internet alias "Minerva," was freed by a
Seoul court on Monday after having been indicted on charges of spreading on-line
rumors that the government ordered local banks not to buy U.S. dollars as part of
efforts to stabilize the local currency.
The prosecution claimed that the posting in December led to dollar hoarding,
forcing the government to hurriedly provide US$2 billion to stabilize the
currency market. The prosecution, which had sought an 18-month prison term, said
they plan to appeal.
"I've come a long way (having been arrested for writing). Why should I be
hesitant now? Whether I write anonymously or reveal my name doesn't seem to be an
important issue now," Park said in a telephone interview with Yonhap News Agency.
"I plan to write as much as I can. I'm grateful for having been proven innocent
and released," said Park. He also said that he couldn't sleep well while being
held in custody for some 100 days since his arrest in early January.
After his arrest, Minerva had argued that his postings were intended to alert and
help out small business owners and ordinary people who were more susceptible to
potential damage from financial markets that underwent volatile movements last
year.
"The right to protect personal property is a core principle within a capitalist
society. To that end, we should remind as many people as possible of what is
right and what is wrong," the blogger said, underlining his intention to continue
sharing his insights on the economy.
Park declined to give a response when asked how he sees the current state of the
overall economy, but said that the stock market seems to be overflowing with
liquidity.
Park's commentaries and other writings, largely critical towards policies of the
conservative government under President Lee Myung-bak, created a large following
last year especially after he predicted the collapse of U.S. banking giant Lehman
Brothers Holdings Inc.
His arrest triggered a heated debate over the boundaries of freedom of expression
in cyberspace and a pervasive consensus among the tech-savvy that the government
was excessively tightening their regulatory grip on the use of the Internet.
odissy@yna.co.kr
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