Prosecutors said Thursday they have asked the justice ministry to deport a Korean-American woman accused of making flattering remarks about North Korea at her on-stage talk shows in South Korea.
In November, local conservative groups accused Shin Eun-mi, 54, of making comments sympathetic to the North Korean regime at shows held in central Seoul 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.
After a series of questionings, the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office said it has decided to deport Shin instead of indicting her as the police have requested. She will then be barred from entering South Korea for the next five years.
Prior to entering the prosecution office for a final questioning session on Wednesday, Shin said she was the victim of a "witch-hunt on alleged North Korea followers."
"I said the two Koreas should restore trust and coexist peacefully. I don't think the remark posed any risk to our national security," she told reporters.
Informed sources said Shin will likely be deported on Friday.
Prosecutors said they have also asked the police to seek a preliminary arrest warrant on Shin's South Korean co-host Hwang Sun, who is accused of the same charges. The 40-year-old is a former deputy spokeswoman of the now-defunct Democratic Labor Party.
Hwang has allegedly endorsed former and incumbent North Korean leaders on an Internet broadcasting station since 2011. She was also found to be active in an alleged "anti-state" activist group, according to police. (Yonhap)
