Over the weekend there was a special event organized for five people wanted by investigative authorities in relation to Han Chong Nyeon (Federation of Korean University Student Councils), in which the five students on the run were able to meet with their families. They say the students pinned carnations on their parents' chests and then left without being able to tell them when they will see them again. It took place in the middle of Seoul, but it felt like a reunion event for families separated and living in North and South Korea. At a time when there are diverse forms of intra-Korean exchange going on some 48 people affiliated with Han Chong Nyeon are wanted by the authorities.
Each is wanted for crimes of different degrees of seriousness, but fundamentally they are all victims of the National Security Law (NSL), a product of the Cold War era. In 1998 the Supreme Court officially defined Han Chong Nyeon as an "organization with the goal of praising, encouraging, and sympathizing with the position and activities of North Korea, an anti-state organization," and though it has been seven years since it is still stigmatized as an "organization advantageous to the enemy." The result is that a lot of students end up wanted by police simply for being officers in the organization. In July 2003 the government removed 78 of the 152 people on its wanted list, but since then 26 students have taken their place. There have been many changes in recent years, such as in Han Chong Nyeon's positions and in intra-Korean relations, and yet the way the prosecution and the courts view it is as is they are still caught up in Cold War thinking.
The government is moving to issue a massive series of pardons on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of liberation from Japan. Many civic and social groups are claiming that if the true meaning of the anniversary is to be honored, the wanted status of Han Chong Nyeon officers has to be canceled and all political prisoners have to be released and have their full rights restored. There is no reason not to resolve the issue of Han Chong Nyeon and political prisoners at a time when the government is making a variety of proposals for the sake of intra-Korean peace and reconciliation, including supplying North Korea with electric power. We call on the government to make profound changes in its attitude.
The Hankyoreh, 2 August 2005.
[Translations by Seoul Selection (PMS)]
[Editorial] End Wanted Status for Han Chong Nyeon |
