Teenager Arrested for Homemade Bomb Attack on North Korean Apologists

There is just so much wrong with this whole incident:

Police said on Sunday a teenager has been arrested on charges of detonating a homemade acid bomb at a recent public talk, whose two co-hosts face questioning for apparently making pro-North Korean comments.

Authorities here in Iksan, North Jeolla Province, about 250 kilometers south of Seoul, said they’ve arrested an 18-year-old high school senior named Oh for possession and detonation of an illegal explosive device and property damage, among other counts.

Iksan police said Oh attended a talk hosted last Wednesday by Shin Eun-mi, a Korean-American who’s written books on North Korea, and Hwang Sun, the former deputy spokeswoman of the now-defunct Democratic Labor Party. They alleged that the teenager snuck in his sulfuric acid bomb with the intent to disrupt the talk, which was held at Shindong Cathedral in Iksan, and also destroyed windows and flooring of the venue.

According to police, Oh has been a member of a popular, right-leaning online community called “Ilbe” since last summer, and purchased his chemicals for the homemade bomb online in July.

Separately, Shin and Hwang are under investigation for allegedly making pro-North Korean remarks during their talks. Local conservative civic groups filed a complaint against the two with the police. Seoul’s National Security Law prohibits any “anti-state” activities attempting to praise, encourage or propagandize North Korean political ideals.  [Yonhap]

First of all this teenager should be prosecuted for whatever crimes can be linked to this homemade explosive device.  Shin may be a North Korean apologist, but that doesn’t mean she deserves to have an explosive device detonated by her.  Secondly why is an American in South Korea taking part in political activity, especially sensitive political activity that involves North Korea?  The Korean government does not allow foreign visa holders to conduct political activity in South Korea:

Scope of activities and employment for foreigners staying in Korea

• Foreigners are granted rights to any activities granted by their visa, and may stay as long as their given period of stay. They are not, however, allowed to participate in any political activities except when specifically allowed by law.

So did Shin have approval from the Korean government to conduct political activity with her visa?  I doubt it.  Instead of bringing up the controversial National Security Law, the Korean authorities should instead prosecute her for violating her visa status.