[Editorial] The historic acquittal of Jo Yong-su

Posted on : 2008-01-17 10:02 KST Modified on : 2008-01-17 10:02 KST

Yesterday, a court ruled that the late Jo Yong-su, president of the newspaper Minjok Ilbo, was not guilty of the crimes for which he was executed by the military government of Park Chung-hee shortly after its coup d’etat in 1961. While this judgment does not bring Jo back to life, we truly hope to see it be of at least some consolation to Jo’s family and those who were affected by the case, all who have lived in much pain in the decades since.

The court’s decision confirms that the actions of the military government were indeed a “judicial murder.” The dictatorship saw that, from its inception, the Minjok Ilbo’s editorial position called for peaceful reunification while also calling for South Korea to declare its neutrality, which would imply a break in its alliance with the United States. As this perspective was becoming immensely popular, the regime closed down the paper and framed Jo as someone engaged in activities on behalf of Pyongyang. For Park Chung-hee, who justified his military coup as a sacred action taken to save the country, which as he saw it was facing a menacing threat from the North, the existence of the progressive newspaper could not be tolerated. Legal principles were disregarded and a special law had to be put together in order to apply it against him retroactively.

There is no way you can convict a dictatorship gone mad for its crimes, but the truth must always long be remembered. The courts and other organs of the state must engage in an agonizing reflection over their wrongs of years past for having cooperated in the taking of an innocent man’s life when he refused to submit to authorities who were in the wrong.

It is a major accomplishment of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission to have the truth be known, however late in coming, and to free those affected by the case from the initial wrongful conviction. It was the activities of this commission that led to those wrongfully accused, convicted, and executed in the People’s Revolutionary Party Reconstruction Committee case to be able to finally get a retrial in absentia and be found not guilty. There are several more cases that are either being retried or are awaiting retrials. The courts need to move fast on these, so as to free more individuals from wrongful convictions.

The process of finding the truth in cases that trampled on human rights in similar ways must continue even after there is a change in administration. Only by bringing these issues to a conclusion can we free ourselves from the past and truly move forward to the future. We believe that the new administration and new ruling party are well aware of the importance of this historic mission. Yesterday the presidential transition team announced that it will keep the commission around only for as long as its current time limit. We believe they are also well aware of the clause in the law stipulating that if the commission is unable to complete all of its work in the four years it was given, it can have its life extended for up to two years.



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