Hunger Strike to Abolish the National Security Law in South Korea

[Yoshie Furuhashi]

>Date: Thu, 21 Dec 2000 16:50:58 +0800
>To: ua at ahrchk.org
>From: AHRC UA <ua at ahrchk.org>
>Subject: [Asia-HR-Alert] SOUTH KOREA - Hunger Strike to Abolish the NSL
>
>URGENT ACTION  URGENT ACTION  URGENT ACTION  URGENT ACTION URGENT
>
>    ASIAN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION - URGENT APPEALS PROGRAM
>
>AHRC UA Index: 001221                              21 December 2000
>--------------------------------------------------------------------
>UA 43/00: It's time to abolish the National Security Law.
>
>SOUTH KOREA - Hunger Strike to Abolish the NSL
>--------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>Fifty-two years is more than enough. It's time to abolish the 
>National Security Law.
>
>More than 20 human rights and civic activists in South Korea went on 
>a hunger strike to abolish the National Security Law (NSL) at 
>Myungdong Catholic Church in Seoul on Dec. 18.
>
>They are insisting that, despite the introduction of a bill in the 
>National Assembly to abolish the NSL, none of the political parties 
>have any intention of passing this bill. The hunger strikers are 
>urging that President Kim Dae-jung must make a political decision to 
>abolish the NSL by the end of this year.
>
>Indeed, from the time when President Kim received the 2000 Nobel 
>Peace Prize on Dec. 10 in Oslo, Norway, there have been many 
>protests involving a large number of lawyers, professors and human 
>rights activists to abolish the NSL in South Korea.
>
>To support the hunger strikers and the people of South Korea, we 
>urge you to take prompt action on this issue in order to create 
>international pressure to abolish the NSL in South Korea.
>
>
>BACKGROUND
>
>The NSL in South Korea has cast a dark shadow of oppression on 
>countless people since its enactment in 1948. From the beginning, 
>the NSL has played a critical and inhuman role in the maintenance of 
>dictatorial regimes in South Korea by casting a pervasive net of 
>fear and oppression, especially during the military regimes from the 
>1960s to the 1980s when more than 10,000 people were tried and given 
>jail terms for violating the NSL. Over the years, it has been used 
>to arrest thousands of innocent people unfairly and unjustly.
>
>The NSL is widely criticized for its arbitrary components. For 
>example, when it is broadly applied, Article 7 of the NSL can be 
>used to suppress virtually any activities of South Korea's citizens. 
>Mere possession of a book or viewing a film can be considered a 
>violation of Article 7 of the NSL. This surreal application of the 
>law has occurred many times. Currently, the South Korean government 
>is under heavy pressure from human rights organizations to repeal 
>Article 7 of the NSL, which states:
>
>“(1) Any person who has benefited the anti-state organization by way 
>of praising, encouraging or siding with or through other means the 
>activities of an anti-state organization, its member or a person who 
>had been under instruction from such organization, shall be punished 
>by imprisonment for not more than seven years.
>
>. . .
>
>“(5) Any person who has, for the purpose of committing the actions 
>as stipulated in paragraphs 1 through 4 of this article, produced, 
>imported, duplicated, possessed, transported, disseminated, sold or 
>acquired documents, drawings or any other similar means of 
>expression shall be punished by the same penalty as set forth in 
>each paragraph.
>
>During the Kim Dae-jung administration, despite the much talked 
>about reforms and the government's claim of a clean human rights 
>record, the NSL continues its fearful presence by limiting and 
>violating the very basic human rights of the Korean people. 
>According to a report by Amnesty International (AI), 99 prisoners of 
>conscience are still in jail; most of them are trade unionists and 
>student activists for violation of the NSL.
>
>SUGGESTED ACTION
>
>Please write two letters. Please send the first protest letter, fax 
>or e-mail to South Korean President Kim Dae-jung and the second as 
>an e-mail to two party representatives in South Korea. The addresses 
>and suggested points to be raised in these letters are given below.
>
>1. Mr. Kim Dae-jung
>    President of Republic of Korea
>    The Chungwoadae
>    1 Sejong-ro, Chonro-gu
>    Seoul, 110-050
>    REPUBLIC OF KOREA
>    FAX: +822 770-0253
>    E-MAIL: webmaster at cwd.go.kr
>    SALUTATION: Your Excellency
>
>Send copies to:
>
>    Mr. Kim Jeong-kil
>    Ministry of Justice
>    1 Jungang-dong, Kwachon-si
>    Kyonggi Province, 427-760
>    REPUBLIC OF KOREA
>    FAX: +822 504-3337
>    E-MAIL: jk.kim at moj.go.kr
>    SALUTATION: Dear
>
>   CONTENTS:
>
>· Strongly express your great concern and disappointment regarding 
>the existence of the NSL even though President Kim Dae-jung has been 
>known as a champion of human rights causes and repeatedly has 
>mentioned that improving human rights conditions in South Korea is 
>his utmost priority. In addition, during his regime for the last 
>three years, there have been no changes made to the NSL.
>
>· Urge him to immediately make a political decision to abolish the NSL.
>
>· State that, without abolishing the infamous NSL in South Korea, 
>the basic human rights situation in the country cannot improve 
>significantly.
>
>· State that the international community will watch his action or 
>inaction as a winner of the Nobel Peace Prize for 2000 to deal with 
>this issue.
>
>2. Mr. Kim Jung-kwon
>    Representative of the New Millenium Democratic Party
>    Kisan Building, 15 Yoido-dong, Youngdeungpo-gu
>    Seoul, 150-010
>    REPUBLIC OF KOREA
>    E-MAIL: webmaster at minjoo.or.kr
>    SALUTATION: Dear
>
>    Mr. Lee Hoi-chang
>    President of the Grand National Party
>    17-7 Yoido-dong, Youngdeungpo-gu
>    Seoul, 150-010
>    REPUBLIC OF KOREA
>    E-MAIL: webmaster at hannara.or.kr
>    SALUTATION: Dear
>
>   CONTENTS:
>
>· Request that they hold a meeting of the National Assembly to 
>abolish the NSL as soon as possible.
>
>· Urge them to accept the U.N. Human Rights Committee’s view and 
>take meaningful steps toward dismantling the NSL.
>
>***Please send a copy of your letter to AHRC Urgent Appeals***
>    Email: ua at ahrchk.org
>    Fax  : +852 2698 6367
>
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