[Editorial] More Work Needed Finding, Disclosing State Records

The National Records and Archive Service has made public some of the documents it has recently uncovered pertaining to historical incidents and government policies. There are a considerable number of primary historical documents important for the study of modern Korean history and unanswered civil rights questions from the same. Late as the discovery is in coming it is most fortunate that these archives have been found after decades in storage.

Of particular note are lists of missing and deceased persons and POW's from the Korean War, civilian victims of military actions in Geochang, Ganghwa, and Gochang, and thorough documentation on the government's "Samcheong Education Brigade" (samcheong gyoyuk dae) during the early 1980's. Those are records that are significant for more than just their academic value. They have the potential to placate the distress of victims who survived their ordeals and the families of those who did not and to provide them with the basis to make claims for compensation. What will be key is that the records are all made public and made available. Records from the Samcheong Education Brigade are classified, but they need to be released in their entirety. One way to do that might be to require they be provided to the truth commission on unanswered questions from modern history.

This development reaffirms the importance of quality preservation and management of government records. Little has been found regarding the Special Committee on Anti-Korean Activities (Banmin Teugwi) from the early years of the Republic beyond small fragments. That stands in shameful contrast to the Japanese colonial government's systematic preservation of lists of arrested and detained persons. They say that only partial records remain on the "5-year plans" for economic development during the 70's and 80's, major state projects like the "Peace Dam," and major man-made disasters like the collapse of the Seongsu Bridge in the 90's. That would seem to be because public documents are only required to be preserved for a period of ten years, and because of arbitrary decisions made by incoming governments or when government agencies merge. A law on government archives was finally passed in 2000, but there is no legal means to hold those who do not follow that law responsible for their actions. In other words, the state ends up blocking all opportunities to learn from its mistakes and increase overall transparency. It is time to establish long-term means for the permanent preservation of state archives all in one place set aside for that purpose.

The Hankyoreh, 23 February 2006.

[Translations by Seoul Selection]