Korean Patriots Charged: China’s Laws in Action?

South Korean police launched a criminal investigation against conservative protesters who tore down a Chinese flag banner featuring Xi Jinping’s face, demonstrating how foreign influence can weaponize domestic laws to silence patriotic dissent.

Story Snapshot

• Seoul police summoned conservative Free University activists for tearing Chinese flag banner with Xi Jinping and ambassador images
• Investigation invokes Article 108 criminalizing insults to foreign envoys, carrying up to three years imprisonment
• Chinese state media celebrated South Korea’s enforcement action against the conservative protesters
• Incident occurred during July 22 rally near Chinese Embassy protesting alleged election fraud

Conservative Group Faces Criminal Charges Over Patriotic Protest

Seoul’s Namdaemun Police summoned members of Jayu Daehak, known as “Free University,” after participants tore a Chinese flag banner displaying Xi Jinping and Chinese Ambassador Dai Bing’s faces during a July 22 rally. The conservative civic group organized the evening demonstration near the Chinese Embassy to condemn alleged election fraud. Police invoked Article 108 of Korea’s Criminal Act, which criminalizes insulting foreign envoys and carries penalties up to three years imprisonment.

Rare Legal Weapon Deployed Against Political Expression

Article 108 represents an unusual prosecutorial tool rarely used against domestic protest actions. The statute aims to protect foreign diplomatic dignity and maintain international relations by criminalizing insults or defamation against foreign representatives. Free University’s action targeting Chinese national symbols near the embassy provided authorities the legal justification needed to pursue criminal charges. This marks a concerning precedent where foreign governments can effectively leverage host-nation laws to suppress criticism.

China’s Influence Campaign Succeeds Through Legal Intimidation

Chinese state media highlighted and welcomed South Korea’s enforcement action, revealing Beijing’s strategy of using foreign legal systems to shield its leaders from criticism abroad. The investigation sends a chilling message to conservative activists who oppose Chinese Communist Party influence in Korean politics. Free University previously supported former President Yoon Suk Yeol and participated in anti-impeachment rallies, positioning them as natural targets for suppression by pro-Beijing forces.

This prosecutorial overreach threatens fundamental principles of free expression and political dissent that conservatives have fought to preserve. When foreign powers can manipulate domestic criminal statutes to silence their critics, it represents a dangerous erosion of national sovereignty and constitutional rights that every patriot should recognize as an assault on liberty itself.

South Korea Launches Police Probe Against Conservatives for Tearing Chinese Flag https://t.co/RBJP9cekls

— ConservativeLibrarian (@ConserLibrarian) August 12, 2025

Implications for Free Speech and National Sovereignty

The case establishes a troubling precedent where protests face criminal prosecution rather than protected political expression. Conservative networks operating near diplomatic facilities now confront legal risks that could fundamentally reshape protest tactics and chill dissent against foreign influence. This enforcement mechanism effectively grants foreign governments veto power over domestic political discourse, undermining the very sovereignty conservatives seek to defend against globalist overreach.

Sources:

Right-wing group investigated for allegedly tearing Chinese national flag banner

Police reportedly investigating official from Liberty/Free University for tearing banner