South Korea authorities said yesterday they would deport Korean-American author Shin Eun Mi because she praised North Korea in a recent lecture.

The Korea Immigration Service has opted to deport the California resident after deciding that her comments violated South Korea’s security law.

Ms Shin posted stories about her trips to North Korea on a popular South Korean news site, and her book on the trips was included in a government-designated reading list in 2013.

But the Culture Ministry removed it earlier this week.Officials said that they would retrieve 1,200 copies distributed to libraries across South Korea.

Her impending deportation has drawn sharp criticism.

“The decision to deport her is a clear violation of human rights,” the Hankyoreh newspaper claimed.

“The government is taking the lead in trampling on human rights.”