Stop Repression Of Democracy In South Korea

<popular resistance> October 1st, 2013

http://www.popularresistance.org/stop-repression-of-democracy-in-south-korea/

 

 

Stop Repression Of Democracy In South Korea

 

 

By Gregory Elich, Tim Shorrock, Hyun Lee, www.popularresistance.org
October 1st, 2013

 

 

Democracy in South Korea is under attack. The ruling Saenuri Party of President Park Geun-hye and the National Intelligence Service have launched a witch hunt to purge progressive voices from the political process.

 

On August 28, the National Intelligence Service (NIS), formerly known as the Korean CIA, raided the offices and homes of the Unified Progressive Party, which holds six seats in South Korea’s National Assembly. Three members were arrested during the raids, and lawmaker Lee Seok-ki was later stripped of immunity and placed under arrest.

 

The NIS charged that members of the Unified Progressive Party were plotting rebellion, aiming to take up arms against the government in the event of war with North Korea. The sole evidence for these outlandish claims was a transcript said to be taken from a surreptitious filming by an informer of two meetings held by the Unified Progressive Party in May.

 

Those arrested say that the NIS fabricated the words that it attributed to them, and an internal investigation by the Unified Progressive Party affirmed that the transcript excerpts the NIS leaked to the press did not correspond to what participants in the meetings heard being said.

 

The NIS, like its predecessor, the KCIA, has a long history of inventing and manipulating evidence in order to achieve its political aims. In the last Korean election, it manipulated a transcript from former South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun’s meetings with North Korean leader Kim Jong-il. The changes made it appear that Roh intended to turn over South Korean territorial waters to the north. The intent was to paint the liberal and left opposition parties as disloyal and provide a boost to the campaigns of candidates belonging to the ruling party.

 

The NIS is once again fabricating evidence, this time in order to remove the Unified Progressive Party from the national scene. Lee-Seok-ki and others face the prospect of imprisonment, and the NIS is considering adding the charge of aiding the enemy, which carries with it a potential death penalty.

 

The Unified Progressive Party spearheaded the ever-growing national protests against abuses by the NIS. Outrage has been mounting over interference by the NIS in the electoral process, and harassment and investigations against individuals for their politics, such as opponents of the Korean Free Trade Agreement. Protests increased in size and militancy, spreading throughout the nation.

 

The National Security Law, a remnant from the Japanese colonial period and the anti-communist Syngman Rhee regime in the years following the Second World War, is still in effect, and essentially makes it a crime to express thoughts that can be construed as “pro-North” or “pro-communist.” When liberally interpreted, it has often been used to suppress dissent.

 

The National Security Law is the weapon of choice for the NIS. Clearly, the attack on the party aims to crush the calls to reform the NIS and provide bogus justification for its continued involvement in domestic affairs.

 

The ruling Saenuri Party is calling for Lee Seok-ki to be removed from office, even though he has yet to be tried, let alone convicted. The Ministry of Justice has created a taskforce to look into responding to petitions by conservative groups to file a request with the Constitutional Court to dissolve the Unified Progressive Party.

 

The South Korean people suffered under many years of dictatorship and military rule. They won a hard-fought victory to bring democracy to their nation. The McCarthyist tactics of the Saenuri Party and the NIS threaten to undo that achievement. They cannot be allowed to destroy South Korea’s democracy.

 

We, the undersigned, demand the Park Geun-hye administration-

 

• Free Lee Seok-ki and other members of the Unified Progressive Party arrested under false charges.

• Free members of the Beomminryeon unification organization, arrested in a raid by the NIS in June.

• Halt the effort to remove Lee Seok-ki from office.

• Stop the move to dissolve the Unified Progressive Party.

• Abolish the National Security Law, instrument of repression.

• Ban the National Intelligence Service from engaging in domestic surveillance and investigation of citizens.

• Bring to justice those in the NIS who were responsible for interfering in the last election and in fabricating evidence.

• Christine Ahn, Board Member, Korea Policy Institute, Honolulu, Hawaii
• James V. Albertini, President, Malu ‘Aina Center for Non-violent Education & Action, Ola’a (Kurtistown), Hawaii
• David K. Armiak, Department of Anthropology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsins
• Brian Becker, National Coordinator, ANSWER Coalition, Washington, DC
• William Blum, Author, “America’s Deadliest Export: Democracy – The Truth About US Foreign Policy and Everything Else,” Washington, DC
• Nile Bowie, International Movement for a Just World, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
• Steven Brion-Meisels, Ph.D., Board of Directors, Massachusetts Peace Action, Boston MA
• Noam Chomsky, Professor of Linguistics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Boston MA
• Michel Chossudovsky, Professor of Economics, University of Ottawa; Editor and Director, Center for Research on Globalization, Montreal Canada
• SaeHee Chun, National Korean American Service and Education Consortium, Fairfax, Virginia
• Dr. John B. Cobb, Jr., Co-Director, Center for Process Studies, Claremont Lincoln University, Claremont, CA
• Jane Cutter, Website Editor, Party for Socialism and Liberation
• Suzanne Majo De Kuyper, Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom
• Gregory Elich, Jasenovac Research Institute and Korea Policy Institute, Columbus, Ohio
• Pejmann Fallah, Columbus Ohio
• Henri Feron, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China (PRC)
• Bernice Fischer, Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom Peninsula Chapter, Palo Alto, CA
• Bill Fletcher, Labor activist and journalist, Washington D.C.
• Sara Flounders, Co-Director, International Action Center, New York NY
• Margaret Flowers, MD, PopularResistance.org, Baltimore, MD
• Bruce Gagnon, Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space
• Joy Lee Powell Gebhard, Washington, DC
• Mike Gimbel, Retired Executive Board member, Local 375, AFSCME, AFL-CIO
• Paul Gottinger, Editor, The White Rose Reader, Madison, WI
• Rev. S. Michael Hahm, New York NY
• Herbert J. Hoffman, Veterans for Peace, Albuquerque, NM
• Christine Hong, UC Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA
• Joon Ki Hyun, Los Angeles, CA
• Ron Jacobs, Writer, Burlington VT
• Milina Jovanovic, Sunnyvale, CA
• June Kelly, People Against War Network, Mullingar, County Westmeath, Ireland
• Daniel Kim, Nodutdol for Korean Community Development, New York City, NY
• Haeyoung Kim, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL
• Sang Eui Kim, Los Angeles California
• Soobok Kim, Closter, NJ
• David Laibman, Science & Society, New York, NY
• Judith Leblanc, Peace Action, Silver Spring, Maryland
• Ramsay Liem, Channing and Popai Liem Education Foundation, Brookline, MA and Berkeley, CA
• Louise Morris, Edgehill United Methodist Church (Former missionary to South Korea), Nashville, TN
• Sean Mulligan, Johns Creek, Georgia
• Michael Munk, Portland OR
• Leah Obias, Damayan Migrant Workers Association, New York, NY
• Andrew S. Park, Ph.D., Professor of Theology and Ethics, United Theological Seminary, Dayton Korean American United Methodist Church, Dayton OH
• Andrew Kisik Park, Boston, MA
• Tim Shorrock, Author, “Spies for Hire – The Secret World of Intelligence Outsourcing,” Washington, D.C.
• Jack A. Smith, Editor, Activist Newsletter, Hudson Valley, New York
• Mark Stansbery, Community Organizing Center, Columbus, Ohio
• Dr. Harold Sunoo, Los Angeles, CA
• JT Takagi, National Campaign to End the Korean War, New York, NY
• Walter Trkla, Kamloops British Columbia, Canada
• Chela Vazquez, Oakland CA
• Cindy Wiesner, Grassroots Global Justice Alliance, United States
• Helena Wong, CAAAV Organizing Asian Communities, New York, NY
• Renie Wong Lindley, Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), Honolulu, HI
• Rev. Kil Sang Yoon, Director, Korea Project, Center for Process Studies, Claremont Lincoln University, Claremont, CA
• Kevin Zeese, JD, PopularResistance.org, Baltimore, MD

Related Posts:

• Support Protesters In South Korea; Stop Repression September 18, 2013
• South Koreans Oppose Continued “US Nuclear War Games”:… May 15, 2013
• South Korea: 50K+ Protest National Intelligence Service Election… July 16, 2013
• Global Day of Action by Nurses, Healthcare Workers in 13 Countries September 22, 2013
• Greece Opposition Party, Syriza, Re-Organized To Win July 26, 2013

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대한민국내 정치탄압을 즉각 중단하라

대한민국의 민주주의가 위협적인 공세 하에 놓여있다. 박근혜 대통령의 집권여당 새누리당과  국가정보원은 정치권에서 진보적인 목소리를 축출하기 위한 마녀사냥에 주력하고 있다.

지난 8월 29일, 과거 한국의 CIA라 불리던 전 중앙정보부, 현 국가 정보원은, 6명의 국회의석을 가진 통합진보당의 당사 및 사택을 압수 수색하였다.  압수수색이후  세명이 체포되고, 그 후 국회의원 면책권을 박탈당한 이석기 의원마저 체포되었다.

국정원에 따르면 통합진보당의 당원들이 북한과의 전쟁시 한국 정부를 대항하는 무장 봉기를 꾀하는 내란음모를 꾀했다고 한다.  이런 어마어마한 혐의의 증거로 제시된 것은 지난 5월 두차례에 걸친 당원들의 모임 에서 한 정보원(프락치)이 은밀히 촬영하여 얻었다는 녹취록 하나 뿐이다.

체포된 이들은 국정원쪽에서 자신들의 발언이 조작되었다고 하고, 통합진보당 내부 조사에서도 언론에서 강조된  녹취록의 발췌 부분 부분이 모임 참가자들이 들은 바와 맞지 않다고 확인되었다 한다.

전 중앙정보부와 마찬가지로, 국정원은 정치적 목적을 달성하기위해 증거를 날조 왜곡하는 오랜 역사를 가지고 있다.  지난 대선때에는 노대통령이  남한의 영해를  북에 넘겨준 것처럼 전 노무현 대통령과 북의 김정일 위원장간의 대화록 녹취록을 왜곡하기도 하였다.  그 의도는 선거 켐페인에서 야당 인사들을 조국에 불충한 배신자들로 호도하고 집권당 소속의 후보자들에게 민심을 몰아가려 한 것이다.

국정원은 또 다시 증거를 왜곡하여, 이번에는 통합진보당을 해체하려 시도하고 있다.  이 석기의원 및 구속을 앞둔 여러 명을 사형까지 언도할 수 있는 이적 동조 혐의를 씌운 것이다.

통합진보당은 지금껏 국정원의 대선 과정에서의 불법개입, 민간인 사찰 및 위협 등 공권력 남용에 대한 전국적인 저항운동을 주도해왔다.

일본 식민지 및 반공 주의 이승만 정권의 잔재인 국가보안법은 아직도 효력을 발휘하고 있으며 근본적으로 “친북” 또는 “공산주의” 사상을 표현하는 것을 범죄화 하고 있다.  법문 그대로 적용되었을때, 국보법은 모든 국가 정책 반대의견을 탄압하는 데 주로 사용되어왔다.

국가보안법은 국정원이 선택한 무기이다.  현재에도 국정원 개혁을 요구하는 정당을 탄압하는 무기로 쓰고 있으며, 국내 문제에서 여전히 국정원이 개입할 수 있는 허울좋은 명분을 제공하고 있다.

집권여당 새누리당은 아직 기소조차 되지 않은 것은 차치하고서라도 재판에서 유죄 여부가 밝혀지지도 않은 이석기의원의 해임을 요구하고 있다.  법무부는 보수성향의 시민단체들이 제출한 통합진보당 해산 청원을 처리하고 헌법재판소에 통합진보당을 위헌정당으로 제소하기 위한 대책 본부를 설치했다.

한국의 시민들은 군사독재하에서 오랜 기간 세월을 받으며 힘들게 투쟁하여 민주주의를 확립하는 성과를 거두었다.  새누리당의 맥카시스트적 극단적 반공주의라 할수있는 태도와 국정원은 그 성과를 위협하고 있으나, 어렵게 이루어낸 한국의 민주주의를 파괴하는 것은 용납될 수 없다.

 

아래 서명자들은, 박근혜 정부에 아래와 같이 요구한다.

• 거짓 혐의로 체포된 이석기의원 및 통합 진보당의 인사들을 석방하라.

• 지난 6월의 단속으로 체포된 범민련 소속  통일운동가들을 석방하라.

• 이석기의원을 해임하려는 모든 조작들을 중단하라.

• 통합진보당을 해산하려는 모든 시도들을 중단하라.

• 시민 탄압의 수단으로 전락한 국가보안법을 철폐하라.

• 국정원의 내정 개입 및 민간인 사찰을 즉각 금지하라

• 대선 개입 및 증거조작 의 국정원 책임자를 조사하고 법대로 처벌하라.