hankyoreh

The government is considering issuing an apology to the victims of the "People's Revolutionary Party Reconstruction Committee Affair." The minister of justice said, "Having the state disclose what it did wrong and apologize would allow the reestablishment of the damaged moral standing and confidence of state authority." That could be the first step to an official apology by the state and the complete restoration of honor for those who have suffered wrongdoing. The government's changed approach to the matter could be seen in how the minister, representing the government, delivered a memorial speech at the first ever ceremony remembering those wrongly executed 32 years ago, held where the executions were carried out, at Seodaemun Prison. He talked about the process through which the government at the time "fabricated" the charges and said his participation in the memorial event was the government's way of pledging that such a "painful history" would not be repeated. It was quite different from the prior attitude seen, when governments would merely talk about the "legal process," or blame "a situation at the time that could not be helped." In that sense, this recent turnaround is another step of progress for the eight executed victims, who had their judicial honor posthumously restored in January when the Supreme Court found them innocent in a retrial.

It should not stop here, of course. As the justice minister himself said, the first step in overcoming a painful past with forgiveness and reconciliation is full disclosure about past wrongs, and this does not apply only to the case of the so-called "People's Revolutionary Party." According to a study by the Supreme Court, some 224 out of about 6,000 cases related to pro-democracy activists during the dictatorship years may have been government concoctions that relied on torture and abuse. Among these, only the "People's Revolutionary Party" case and the instance of Ham Ju-myeong, whom authorities made into a spy for North Korea, have had their wrongs recognized through retrials. In fact, not even everyone made out to be part of the People's Revolutionary Party have had their cases heard again - in addition to the eight who were executed, another 14 were either sentenced to 20 years or life in prison, and their petitions for retrial still await review. How many similarly sad and shocking stories like this one must there be? This is why the country quickly needs to consider legislation that annuls judicial decisions that resulted from the repressive "emergency measures" of Park Chung-hee's Yusin government.

The judicial branch of government, for its part, needs to engage in more proactive introspection and confession about its ignominious legacy of "judicial murder," because it, too, needs to reestablish its moral standing and restore public confidence. Furthermore, one would hope that this kind of introspection would take place in national elected politics, where instead of embracing the pain and remorse of the victims and their families, it is more common to suggest there is a political motive behind their calls for justice. If we are going to move toward the future, the most important thing is that our point of departure be frank recognition of the wrongs of the past.


Please direct questions or comments to [englishhani@hani.co.kr]