[Editorial Systemize How Country Investigates the Past

In December alone there have been significant findings about unanswered issues in recent Korean history. The National Intelligence Service (NIS) has come forward with new information about the People's Revolutionary Party affair, the police just made an announcement about the Gang Gi Hun "suicide note ghostwriting" case, and two days ago the Ministry of National Defense released the findings from its inquiry into forced conscription and the "Nokhwa Project" from the early years of the Fifth Republic. It is significant when organs of the state that were once perpetrators make confessions about the shameful past, because that is the first step in truly resolving unanswered issue such as restoring the honor of the victims and giving proper compensation.

New facts have been revealed. The Ministry of National Defense has found a document sent by the defense minister to the head of the Military Manpower Administration, and it describes how then president Chun Doo Hwan verbally ordered him to begin the targeted induction program. That is major progress, since three years ago the Presidential Commission on Suspicious Deaths found documents only suggesting that had been what happened. The new handwriting sample found in the "suicide note ghostwriting" case made possible a re-evaluation of the handwriting.

However, it is very disappointing how truth commissions have been unable to find those responsible for torture or framing innocent people on manufactured charges. Also, it is a far cry from the whole truth to pass ultimate responsibility on to the president when there is no certain evidence. Granted, many years have passed and a lack of cooperation by those involved makes it difficult to obtain testimony and physical evidence. But when the apology seems haphazard and findings seem to be trying to avoid affixing responsibility to specific individuals, the official confession is less authentic. It should be remembered that victims who want their honor restored by having their cases retried would really rather learn the whole truth than hear an apology.

The government bodies responsible for looking into the recent past urgently need to be better legally equipped. There is the new truth commission that got started this month and six others in operation. Five commissions, such as the one looking into Jeju's "April 3 Incident," have concluded their inquiries. They all got started at different times, and one result is the inefficiency of overlapping areas of inquiry. One of the causes of that problem is that the legislation that was intended to include everything was watered down and rendered less effective in course of negotiations at the National Assembly. It would still not be too late to revise the ordinances to the existing legislation so as to make the scope of each inquiry and the authority and responsibility of each commission clear.

The Hankyoreh, 21 December 2005.

[Translations by Seoul Selection]