Frankie Fung Tat-chun was a community organizer in Kowloon City (九龍城) and a pro-democracy activist in Hong Kong, aligned with the localist ideology. During the 2019-2020 pro-democracy movement, he co-founded DB Channel (加山傳播), an online media outlet. [1] He also formed the Peninsular Commons (半島連線), a localist political group based in Kowloon City, and served as the convenor. [2]

Fung was educated at Diocesan Boys’ School (DBS) and later at Hong Kong Baptist University's School of Communications. Inspired by the 2014 Umbrella Revolution and the rise of the localist camp during the 2016 Legislative Council by-elections, particularly under the leadership of Edward Leung Tin-kei (梁天琦), Fung became motivated to contribute more to Hong Kong's sociopolitical landscape. [3]

He founded the community organization 九龍城大小事 as its community director, focusing on raising awareness of local sociopolitical issues. In the 2019 District Council Elections, Fung ran against Ng Po-keung (吳寶強), a 15-year pro-Beijing District Councilor, narrowly losing by just 99 votes.

During the 2019-2020 pro-democracy protests, Frankie Fung Tat-chun co-founded DB Channel, an online media outlet primarily made up of Diocesan Boys' School alumni reporters. The channel became known for its engaging and often humorous visuals in news reporting. [4] In April 2020, Fung founded Peninsular Commons with a group of young activists dedicated to serving the area, including two district councilors in Kowloon City. He ran in the 2020 pro-democracy camp primaries alongside the group's spokesperson, Timothy Lee Hin-long (李軒朗). The pair narrowly lost to Kalvin Ho Kai-ming by just 120 votes, failing to secure a nomination.

On Jan. 6, 2021, Fung was among over 50 pro-democracy figures arrested under Hong Kong’s National Security Law for participating in or organizing the election. 47 of them were officially charged with conspiracy to commit subversion on Feb. 28, 2021. [5] He was denied bail and has remained in custody since then. [6]

In November 2021, the court rejected Fung's bail application, citing DB Channel as “a platform calling for sanctions, promoting seditious ideologies, and gathering international support.” [7] Following this judgment, DB Channel announced the immediate layoff of its staff in Hong Kong and clarified that Fung had left the outlet in July 2020. [8] [9]

Fung pleaded guilty to the charges brought against him. Considering mitigating factors, including his guilty plea, the court ultimately sentenced him to 4 years and 5 months in prison on Nov. 19, 2024. [10]

Photo credit: Frankie Fung's Facebook