hankyoreh

The prosecution is intensifying its investigation into the Federation Against House Demolition (Jun Chul Yun), the organization accused of spearheading the anti-urban development protest in Yongsan last month that left five civilians and one policeman dead following a fire ignited in the course of the protest. The jurisdiction for the probe has been handed off from the Seoul Central Prosecutors’ Office’s criminal division, which was in charge of investigating the fire, and passed to the public safety division.

In an emergency question and answer session at the National Assembly related to the tragic Yongsan blaze, Justice Minister Kim Kyung-han said, “Prosecutors are investigating Jun Chul Yun, which turned out to be behind (the protest). They will soon uncover every part of the truth.”

Kim Hee-kwan, a prosecutor in charge of the probe, added, “Our public safety team is investigating allegations raised against Jun Chul Yun. Everything deemed to be illegal will be checked.” This means that the prosecution will expand the scope of its investigation to include demonstrations against redevelopment projects with which the federation was involved in the past.

The investigative team will continue its efforts to arrest Nam Gyeong-nam, the head of Jun Chul Yun who is believed to be in hiding, but the public safety division will take over the investigation if Nam is not captured, a prosecutor said.

Yesterday, the prosecution arrested Chung Ju-seok, 47, who was treated at a hospital for injuries from the protest, and it plans to indict him along with Lee Choong-yeon, the head of the Countermeasure Committee for Displaced Tenants in Yongsan.

Also yesterday, civic and human rights groups held an all-night demonstration. The groups called for the government to bring to justice those who are responsible for the deadly blaze.

Before the demonstration began, the Committee Against the Brutal Suppression of the Yongsan Demolition Protest held a press conference at Myeong-dong Cathedral in central Seoul, demanding an immediate apology from President Lee Myung-bak and punishment of Seoul Police Chief Kim Seok-ki and Minister of Public Administration and Security Won Sei-hoon. Kim recently withdrew his name from consideration for the top post at the National Police Agency and Won is under consideration for the position of National Intelligence Agency director. The protest was attended by around 30 people, including Jeong Kwang-hoon, the head of the Korea Alliance for Progressive Movement, and Bae Eun-shim, the mother of the late Lee Han-yeol, the Yonsei University student activist who died during a 1987 protest and came to symbolize South Korea’s democracy movement.

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