He goes by the username “Minerva,” after the Greek goddess of wisdom. He rose from anonymity in South Korea, for accurately predicting the current economic crisis. He even predicted the collapse of Lehman Brothers.
Now, the 31 year old Park Dae-Sung, is charged with going too far in an online discussion. He stated that the government had banned major financial institutions and trade businesses from purchasing U.S. dollars in an attempt to strengthen the local currency. Prosecutors are calling his information inaccurate and saying that it disrupted the foreign exchange market.
He was arrested last week, which sparked a debate about freedom of speech on the Internet and in South Korea. South Korea is considered to be one of the most technologically savvy nations in the world.
Dae-Sung had regularly denounced the method by which his government handled the economy and made regular, mostly negative, predictions about the future. He is speculated to be an economic expert and his identity was hotly debated in his home country.
He has been denied bail. Dae-Sung’s lawyer said he did not intend to harm the public.
Dae-Sung could spend up to five years in prison or be fined up to 50 million won (US$36,360).
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