News commentator denies unlawfully revealing police meeting details online – South China Morning Post

News commentator denies unlawfully revealing police meeting details online  South China Morning Post

A Hong Kong news commentator accused of violating the national security law has denied exposing police intelligence operations, telling a court that details of his meeting with officers were already public knowledge before he posted them online. Wong Kwok-ngon, 72, who ran a YouTube commentary channel under the pen name Wong On-yin, stood trial at the District Court on Friday. He is the first person in Hong Kong to be prosecuted for allegedly prejudicing an investigation into national security offences by unlawfully disclosing details of a police interview. He was also charged with knowingly publishing seditious publications in connection with videos covering local and international news. In court, Wong questioned why two sergeants from the police force’s National Security Department considered their meeting with him on December 2, 2025, confidential when media outlets had already widely reported that he was under investigation.

Wong and other residents had planned to hold a press conference that day about the Wang Fuk Court blaze, which killed 168 people last November. But the event was called off after national security officers invited them to a meeting the same day. Wong posted two videos on his YouTube channel the following day discussing the meeting. Prosecutors said in their opening submission that Wong’s commentary had exceeded the bounds of “fair comment” because he repeatedly portrayed the