North Korea's work orders released at trial, prosecutors submit evidence in Cheongju spy gang case = Korea

In the trial of the 'Cheongju spy gang' case that caused a stir in South Korean society, the directives that activists are said to have received from North Korea have been made public for the first time.

In the trial of four people, including Yoon (50), a Cheongju regional activist, held at the Cheongju District Court on August 7th, the prosecution filed files with names such as 'Human Conditions' and 'Reviewing Western Music' stored on USB drives. About 30 have been submitted to the court.

In 2021, the prosecutor's office detained Yoon and others on suspicion of spying and indicted them. Yoon and his colleagues formed the "Self-reunification Chungbuk Organizing Association", which is an enemy group (anti-state activity group), under orders from North Korean operatives. He is suspected of detecting state secrets and collecting information on domestic affairs.

According to the materials released by the prosecution on that day, North Korea issued a directive to its activists on June 24th, 2017, stating, "North Korea's intentions were expressed as We must actively influence progressive groups to change the direction of the struggle against the United States." Regarding the deployment of US forces in South Korea to THAAD, it was reportedly instructed that "we need to influence progressive groups to actively engage in a struggle against THAAD."

Furthermore, the prosecutor's directive states, "We must put the provincial and private parties of the People's Party at the forefront and actively promote them so that they lead everything."

Meanwhile, the defendant's side denied that the document was fabricated, saying, "I have never seen the document issued by the prosecution."