Too Much Freedom of Speech?

It may be in South Korea but it ought to be as chilling for an American to read as the headline that it's 76 degrees below zero in Tok, Alaska.

The arrest of a popular South Korean Internet financial pundit sparked a heated debate on Friday over how much freedom of speech should be tolerated in cyberspace.

State prosecutors arrested the commentator, identified only as Park, on Thursday on charges of spreading "groundless" allegations that the country's currency, the won, was imperiled.

Park, who uses the alias Minerva, has caused ructions over the past few months with more than 200 postings about the country's financial woes and the global economic crisis.

There's a bit more about the movement by South Korea's government to squash "internet rumors" of various sorts. By the way, didn't we spend American lives and money to preserve this "democracy" a few years back?

Repressive ideas have a bad tendency to get adopted by the enemies of freedom everywhere, so take note and be vigilant. There are many enemies of freedom in the U.S. who would love to crack down on the internet.