SOUTH KOREA: Kim appoints investigation panel

Kim appoints investigation panel

SEOUL — South Korea's President Kim Dae-Jung appointed a human rights investigation panel to investigate repression of the pro-democracy movement by previous military dictatorships and decide on compensation.

Incidents for investigation go back to 1960 and include the 1980 Kwangju massacre which helped ignite the mass movement that eventually brought South Korea to civilian rule in 1987.

In light of government attempts to contain anti-US sentiment, it remains to be seen how much light will be shed on US complicity in both the Kwangju massacre and the entire 34-year period of military rule.

The panel includes prominent former woman dissident Lee Oo-Jong and the president of the left-liberal Hankyoreh newspaper, Choe Hak-Rae.

BY IGGY KIM

From GLW issue 416