Release Korean Human Rights Activist, Park, Raegoon
Arrested for Protesting Expansion of U.S Military Base in Korea
1. Outline
- On the 9th of July, lots of human rights activists and civic activists together with the residents demonstrated peacefully protesting against expansion of US military base in Pyungtaek. But the police attacked the demonstrators to take 45 demonstrators to a police station. During this collision, the police abused the demonstrators both verbally and physically which resulted in lots of injuries. Those who were taken to the police stations were accommodated to Suwon South, Bundang, and Kunpo police station separately.
On the 10th of July, 42 out of were released. However they carried out a warrant examination against three human rights activists at Suwon District Court : Park, Rae-Goon(Sarangbang Group for Human Rights), Kim Duk-Jin(Catholic Human Rights Committee) and Lee Yong Suk(A World without War).
On the 11th of July, Kim Duk Jin and Lee Yong Suk were set free but Park Rae-Goon of Sarangbang Group for Human Rights was arrested on the suspicion of violating the Law on Assembly and Demonstration. Park Rae-Goon was sent to Suwon Prison, numbered 312.
The police alleged that the human rights activists organized a demonstration without permission during night and they obstructed the police in the discharge of their duties. However, the truth is compeletely different, almost opposite. The human rights activists named above marched towards Daechuri totally peacefully against expansion of US military base, which definetely threatens 속 residents' rights to live peacefully. But shopkeepers committed a brutal violence against the demonstrator. Then the demonstrators asked the police to stop the violence. Instead of stopping violence committed by shopkeepers, the police attacked the demonstrators. Lots of demonstrators were injured by violence committed both by shopkeepers and police.
Park Rae-Goon was in charge of "Peaceful March Group to Daechuri against US military Base and Korea-US FTA". The group started marching from the presidential residence, Chungwadae on the 5th of July. They planned to march 285 'ri' to Pyungtaek. The distance 285 ri symbolizes the area of US military base to be expanded, 285 million 'pyung'. So the March Group planed to walk 285 ri in order to take back 285 million pyung area. And Park Rae-Goon is the chair of the Group.
On the 8th of July, the last day of the march, the demonstrators were marching to Daechuri peacefully. However, they were stopped by the police after the Candle Lights Demonstration at Pyungtaek Station. The shopkeepers there threw eggs and stones at them, but the police never took any action on the violence by the shopkeepers. Thus the demonstrators rushed to the police station to urge them to stop the violence and protested the neglect of the police duty to stop any violence.
But at the very late night of 8th and early morning of 9th, the police commited violence against the domonstrators of activists and residents and walked the demonstrators away to the police station without distinction.
The police alleged that the demonstration is not pre-permitted thus, the demonstration is illegal. If all the assemblies and demonstration should be permitted by the police in advance, any protest demonstration or movement on the spot cannot be possible. This is clearly against freedom of assembly. The Supereme Court declared that 'a demonstration on the spot' is not illegal. It should also taken into account that Par Rae-Goon never did any harm to anybody.
2. Background
The arrest of Par Rae-Goon, human rights actitivist, is a severe attack at 'human rights protectors'. The police and the prosecutory authorities in Korea have closely watched the activities of human rights protectors and attacked them politically and physically. Thus, the arrest of Park Rae-Goon should be understood a target attack at the people who are against the expansion of US military base.
In particular, it should be noted that the police attacked the demonstrators by the nape of their neck, the police inspectors themselve joined the violence committed at the demonstrators, they took demonstrators illegally to police station. This clearly reveals that the police attacks human rights and peace. The arrest of human rights protector, Park Rae-Goon is the arrest of human rights movements themselves by the government.
On the 4th of May, the Ministry of Defence occupied Daechu primary school by force. Since then daily violation of human rights has been witnessed at Daechuri without difficulty. Their farmland was surrounded by barbed-wire entanglements in order for the residents to stop farming. The Defence Ministry designated 285 million pyung in Daechuri as Military Protection Area, where movement of residents and visitors are not free at all. The physical and mental damage of the villagers are severe. Thus the villagers asked the authorities to withdraw the military and police forces from their village, and to release the arrested. However, their reply was to start force demolition of empty houses in the village in July, which expects another human rights violation in large scale.
The US and Korean governments agreed to add new 1,154 ha to the existing 1,513 ha of US military base in Pyungtaek under the name of 'Strategic Flexibility.' It should be noted that US Military Base in Pyungtaek will play a major role in attack and containment against the People's Republic of China and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, which will destroy peace sustained with difficult around the Korean peninsula. Therefore, the people in Pyungtaek, human rights and peace movements activists have organized daily candle lights demonstration for 600 days against the expansion of the US Military Base. The expansion will deprive the people in Pyungtaek of their lives in their home village. The Peaceful March Group to Daechuri against US military Base and Korea-US FTA should be understood in this context.
3. Demand
- Set human rights activist Par Rae-Goon free immediately!
- Dismiss Head of Pyungtaek Police Station immediately for police violence on the 9th!
- Punish policemen committed violence on the peaceful domonstrators immediately!
- Stop coersive questioning by patrol police in Daechuri and Doduri immediately!
- Stop the plan to expand US military base and expropriation of land by force immediately!
Please, send any protesting messages to the following addresses:
President Roh Moo-hyun
Blue House
1 Sejongno Jonno gu
Seoul Korea(110-820)
fax: +822-770-4943/+822-770-2440
Minister of Defence Yoon Kwang-woong
Ministry of Defence
22 Leetaewon road, Yongsan gu
Seoul Korea(104-701)
fax: +822-748-6026
Minister of Justice Cheon Jung-bae
Ministry of Justice
Building # 1, Gwacheon Government Complex,Jungang-dong 1, Gwacheon-si, Kyunggi-do, Korea(427-720)
fax: +822-503-3532
Prosecutor Kim Sun-hwy
Suwon District Public Prosecutor's Office
80 Woncheon-dong, Youngtong-ku, Suwon city,
Kyunggi-do, 443-703, Korea
fax: 82 31-210-4611
Kim In Ok
Head of Pyungtaek Police Station,
619 Bision-dong, Pyungtaek city,
Kyunggi-do, 450-150, Korea
fax: 82 31-652-4982
Please, send the copies to:
Sarangbang Group for Human Rights
8-29, Myungryun-dong 2ga, Jongno-gu
Seoul Korea(110-522)
humanrights@sarangbang.or.kr
fax: +822-741-5364
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