Kim Dae-jung's selective amnesty
By Eva Cheng
Rather than heralding progressive reform, President Kim Dae-jung's "amnesty" last month for more than 5.5 million people reveals continuing repression in South Korea. Many political prisoners jailed for their socialist ideas remain in prison, some after decades, and the key repressive tool, the National Security Law (NSL), remains intact.
Of the 5,527,827 who had their penalty waived, 5,325,850 (96.3%) were in relation to traffic offences, 166,334 (3%) were civil servants who had their disciplinary records expunged, 31,581 (0.27%) were convicted of ordinary crimes and only about 500 (0.009%) were jailed for security-related offences.
According to the March 2 Policy and Information Centre for International Solidarity (PICIS) Newsletter, as of January there were 942 political prisoners, 23 of whom have been in jail for more than 27 years. Almost 76% were in prison for violating the NSL.
According to PICIS, even private criticism of the NSL can land people in jail — often under the accusation of being "pro-Pyongyang" — with their children black-listed from certain jobs. It cites the recent arrest of human rights activist Seo Jun-sik for screening The Red Hunt, which features a 1948 struggle against the brutality of US troops on Cheju Island.
The amnesty has bypassed the writer Hwang Suk-yong ("guilty" of encouraging, praising and visiting North Korea), Park No-hae and Paek Tae-woong (both convicted for being members of a socialist organisation).
Moreover, according to a special appeal by the Joint Committee for Abolition of the National Security Law and the Release of Imprisoned Comrades, Inchon Detention House has recently deprived inmates of their legal right to receive letters from their families, and has introduced various intimidatory measures such as strip searching.
Those jailed there include 11 members of the Democratic Working Youth in Buchon, who are among the 12 DWY activists imprisoned since November 17 for "organising and joining a pro-Pyongyang organisation".
The committee urges that protest messages be sent to Inchon Detention House via fax 82 32 868 8776 and solidarity messages to the committee at e-mail: