In the sentencing statement, the bench wrote, "It is acknowledged that the defendant was active as a member of the Korean Worker Party's politburo, and disguised as a 'border rider,' uncritically disseminated Kim Il-sung's dynastic ideology in South Korea and ill-affected peaceful North-South reunification. For this, a heavy sentence is needed."

The judges recognized the persuasiveness of testimony from Hwang Jang-yop, a former secretary in the Korean Workers Party, and a telegram sent to Pyongyang by Kim Gyeong-pil, a former secretary at the North Korean Interests Section in Germany. Aside from some minute details, the court said, the charges against Song had been proven.

	Jeong Jeong-hee, wife of Song Du-yul, talks with reporters following the sentencing of her husband.

The court rejected Song's claims that his joining of the Korean Workers Party was nothing more that a formality performed when entering the country, saying that even in the North, only figured recognized for their ideological purity are allowed entry into the party.

It said, "The defendant used the North's ideologically slanted academic writings and media selections to provide an ideological basic about the 'Juche' ideology in the South, and contributed to the growth of blind pro-North Korean forces... When that kind of matter is outwardly expressed, even academic freedom and freedom of conscience can be limited in order to maintain security and order."

The court ruled, however, that Song was not guilty of violating the National Security Law by attending academic lectures in North Korea, saying that he did not simply parrot North Korea's positions, nor did he take a leading role in those conferences.

Explaining the need for a heavy sentence, however, the court said, "The defendant might be a victim of national division, and he did come back to Korea despite the threat of punishment, and our society must accept his academic achievements, but we cannot accept lightly his joining of the Workers Party, and he has consistently denied his deeds and refused to apologize or reflect upon his biased academic activities."

Song's defense team was taken back by the heavy sentence, given despite Song's innocence in a number of charges and the atmosphere of North-South reconciliation. They plan to appeal.

Song was prosecuted on charges of voluntarily entering North Korea in 1973 and joining the Workers Party, engaging in pro-North Korean activity in Germany, being selected to the Worker Party politburo in 1991 and spreading North Korea's Juche ideology both in Korea and abroad and visiting North Korea 22 times since 1973 in order to receive instructions from the communist country.

(englishnews@chosun.com )