An activist-turned-opposition lawmaker underwent questioning Thursday over allegations that she attended pro-North Korean talk shows in violation of Seoul's strict national security law, police said.
Rep. Lim Su-kyung of the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy is accused of appearing on the on-stage talk shows held in Seoul and other South Korean cities in the past several months.
The shows, hosted by a Korean-American woman, Shin Eun-mi, reportedly contained comments sympathetic to the North Korean regime, in violation of the South's National Security Law.
The law bans any activities meant to praise, promote or propagandize North Korean ideals in the country.
The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency probing the case said Lim was called in as a defendant in the complaint filed by local conservative groups.
The lawmaker is further accused of retweeting tweets posted by Urimizokkiri, a North Korean news website, according to police.
Lim, however, said her show appearance was not premeditated.
"I ran into the show when I was at the Jogye Temple (where the show was held in Seoul) to discuss Buddhism-related laws," she told reporters before the police questioning. "I had received a request to participate, but I'd turned it down considering my other engagements at the National Assembly."
The former pro-unification activist became widely known after making an unauthorized trip to the communist nation in 1989 and meeting with then leader Kim Il-sung, the North's founder and grandfather of current leader Kim Jong-un.
The police probe comes after Shin was expelled from the country last week. The prosecution had suspended her indictment.
Earlier this week, the Seoul Central District Court also issued an arrest warrant for Shin's South Korean co-host, Hwang Sun, for holding shows that allegedly endorsed North Korea. (Yonhap)
