Hwang Sok-yong, a 50-year-old writer and prisoner of conscience, was arrested on 27 April 1993 by the Agency for National Security Planning (ANSP) at Kimpo Airport, Seoul, under the National Security Law (NSL). He was held for 20 days, during which he was subjected to lengthy interrogation, threats and sleep deprivation. He was then transferred to Seoul Detention Centre where the prosecution interrogated him for a further 30 days. On 14 May the ANSP announced to the media the results of its investigation, before he had been charged or sent for trial. He was charged under several articles of the NSL for forming and participating in an “anti-state” organization and for contacts with North Korea. His trial started on 12 July 1993, and he may face a long prison sentence.
