[BBC News] Thurs., December 30, 2010 1:54 p.m.
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission, launched to reveal the truth about anti-democratic human rights abuses committed since the Japanese colonial era, comes to an end Friday after five years of activity. Through a comprehensive report released yesterday, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission said it investigated 11,175 cases such as civilian massacres around the time of the Korean War and human rights abuses under authoritarian governments, getting to the bottom of 8,450 (85.6%) of them.
In 510 of them (4.6%), they could not learn the truth, and 1,729 (15.5%) were dismissed. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission also revealed cover-ups and fabrications by the state and investigative bodies, such as massacres of civilians during the Korean War like the Bodo League Incident and incidents that took place under the dictatorships like the Spy Case of Five Fishermen Kidnapped to North Korea and Gang Gi-hun's fabricated suicide note.
We cannot help but express regret, however, regarding investigations less thorough than the ones that produced results like these. Firstly, in incidents where those responsible were clear like the Yeosu-Suncheon Incident, the Bodo League Incident and massacres by US troops, the Commission did not clearly name the victimizers.
About civilian massacres by the US military during the Korean War, the Commission called them unavoidable bombings that took place during a chaotic wartime situation. In particular, that the Commission's activities have run counter to its founding goals since the launch of the current administration will go down as a blemish on its record.
Committee chairman Lee Young-jo, who revealed an anachronistic view of history with his use of phrases like "popular rebellion" and "rebellion" to describe the May 18 Gwangju Democratic Movement and the April 3 Jeju Incident, recently designated the case of the US shelling of the Pohang area, which the Commission had voted to investigate, as impossible to investigate, sparking a controversy over the move's legality.
Also problematic is the government's failure to show the will to actively accept the Commission's recommendations as they are non-binding. Through June, the Commission had made recommendations on 289 cases, but the government has executed only eight of those; the recommended measures in the other cases are either currently being pushed under prior consideration.
Also unclear is whether or not other recommendations by the Commission, such as the legislation of a special law regarding restitution and compensation for victims of civilian massacres, the excavation and burial of victims and the establishment of a research foundation to study past incidents, will be executed.
With the dissolving of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, investigations into the past at the government level cannot help but be suspended for the time being. History shows us, however, that the work of uncovering the past cannot be stopped.
As in the case of the Special Committee for Prosecution of Anti-National Offenders, established after Liberation but soon dissolved, the day will come when we must dig for truth that has been covered-up. For that day, we must organize and store the data on thousands of cases collected by the Commission.
We must also make public for researchers and bereaved family unreleased material, while guarding as much as possible against revealing private information. Moreover, the government must accept the Commission's recommendations and soothe, at least partially, the sense of injustice suffered by the victims and their families. (Ed. Dec 30, 2010)
In 510 of them (4.6%), they could not learn the truth, and 1,729 (15.5%) were dismissed. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission also revealed cover-ups and fabrications by the state and investigative bodies, such as massacres of civilians during the Korean War like the Bodo League Incident and incidents that took place under the dictatorships like the Spy Case of Five Fishermen Kidnapped to North Korea and Gang Gi-hun's fabricated suicide note.
We cannot help but express regret, however, regarding investigations less thorough than the ones that produced results like these. Firstly, in incidents where those responsible were clear like the Yeosu-Suncheon Incident, the Bodo League Incident and massacres by US troops, the Commission did not clearly name the victimizers.
About civilian massacres by the US military during the Korean War, the Commission called them unavoidable bombings that took place during a chaotic wartime situation. In particular, that the Commission's activities have run counter to its founding goals since the launch of the current administration will go down as a blemish on its record.
Committee chairman Lee Young-jo, who revealed an anachronistic view of history with his use of phrases like "popular rebellion" and "rebellion" to describe the May 18 Gwangju Democratic Movement and the April 3 Jeju Incident, recently designated the case of the US shelling of the Pohang area, which the Commission had voted to investigate, as impossible to investigate, sparking a controversy over the move's legality.
Also problematic is the government's failure to show the will to actively accept the Commission's recommendations as they are non-binding. Through June, the Commission had made recommendations on 289 cases, but the government has executed only eight of those; the recommended measures in the other cases are either currently being pushed under prior consideration.
Also unclear is whether or not other recommendations by the Commission, such as the legislation of a special law regarding restitution and compensation for victims of civilian massacres, the excavation and burial of victims and the establishment of a research foundation to study past incidents, will be executed.
With the dissolving of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, investigations into the past at the government level cannot help but be suspended for the time being. History shows us, however, that the work of uncovering the past cannot be stopped.
As in the case of the Special Committee for Prosecution of Anti-National Offenders, established after Liberation but soon dissolved, the day will come when we must dig for truth that has been covered-up. For that day, we must organize and store the data on thousands of cases collected by the Commission.
We must also make public for researchers and bereaved family unreleased material, while guarding as much as possible against revealing private information. Moreover, the government must accept the Commission's recommendations and soothe, at least partially, the sense of injustice suffered by the victims and their families. (Ed. Dec 30, 2010)
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