APPENDIX 'A'

STATUS OF HUMAN RIGHTS IN KOREA

1985

I. BACKGROUND

Chun Do Hwan, with the support of the country's military establishment, seized power through a coup d'etat on May 17, 1980. Chun's actions led to an uprising in the city of Kwangju which was put down with excessive brutality by the military forces. As a result of Chun's sanguinary and unlawful assumption of power, his government lacks popular support. Even the U.S. State Department notes that "to many Koreans the degree of legitimacy of the Chun government is open to question." Lacking legitimacy at home, the Chun government has turned to foreign powers, including the United States and Japan, for support. These countries, especially the United States, have, however, used Korea's dependence on them to pressure the government to open its markets to foreign goods.

Korean conglomerates are also pressuring the government to keep wages down and suppress the labor movement. Consequently, the government has implemented anti-national and anti-people policies which serve the interests of foreign powers and big business. Government officials, aware of the instability of the regime, have sought to enrich themselves while there is still time. Thus, corruption is rampant.

In contrast, laborers, farmers and urban slum dwellers, who live with the constant threat of bankruptcy, cry out for the right to a decent life. Conscientious intellectuals and students see the dictatorial government as the root of the nation's problems. They demand that the Chun government step down and allow for the establishment of a genuine democracy. A first step would be the revision of the constitution to allow for the direct election of the president.

The popular yearning for democracy was made clear during the National Assembly elections in February when the electorate handed the New Korean Democratic Party an unexpected but undeniable victory. Since then, the democratic minjung movements have gained strength and

influence. The government has responded by abandoning the so-called "appeasement" policy initiated at the end of 1983. The treatment of the students in the USIS case shows that the government has returned to a hard-line policy in dealing with dissent. It is against this background that the present human rights situation must be viewed.

II. PRESENT SITUATION

Human rights violations in Korea can be categorized in the following way:

1. Government labeling of the democratic minjung movements, especially the student movement, as "leftist", "pro-communist" and "aiding the enemy (North Korea)." (As a result, students may be tried under the National Security Law). Examples of this include:

a) the USIS case

b) the Sammintu incident

c) the Kitbal and Ehwa Press case

d) the Minjung Art and Minjung Education cases

e) the overseas espionage case

2. Violent oppression of the democratic minjung movements, including:

a) Student movement

b) Labor movement (Daelim Trade Co., Hanil Stainless Steel Co., Daewoo Apparel)

c) Farmer's movement (Pusan Farmer's Democratic Movement for Compensation of Losses Incurred for Falling Cattle Prices)

d) Christian movement (May 19 attack on clergy, August 28 attack on NCCK staff members)

3. Torture during interrogation and detention - Torture of Kim Keun Tae, former chairperson of the National Youth Federation for Democracy

4. Massive arrests of dissidents and demonstrators:

Numbers arrested

as of May 30 125

as of July 15 268

as of September 30 430

5. Mistreatment of political prisoners - July 30 incident at Taegu prison

6. Arbitrary house arrests, beating and detention of dissidents

7. Suppression of judges, journalists and artists

8. Intimidation and interrogation of young people by plain-clothes police — young people are stopped and searched on the streets everyday

9. The proposed Campus Stabilization Law

a) Provisions to send students to "reeducation" camps and virtually prohibit all forms of political dissent

b) Punishment of professors who publicly oppose enactment of the law

10. The suppression of peaceful dissent. The demands of the democratic minjung movements have led to desperate acts of protest such as the self-immolation of Hong Ki Il (August 15) and attempt by Song Kwang-Young (September 17)

III. CONCLUSION

In the face of such widespread repression by the Chun government, the Korean people must:

1. Support the democratic minjung movements in their demands for the resignation of Chun Do Hwan and the revision of the constitution

2. Strongly protest against massive arrests and detentions, the use of torture and the mistreatment of political prisoners.

The United States and Japan must also end their support of the Chun Government. The United States must cease its pressure on Korea to open its markets to American goods and services.

DETAINEES

(as of Sept. 30, 1985)

Detainees arrested prior to 1984

National Security Law cases involving Korean . . . . . 42

residents of. Japan (various cases)

South Korea National Liberation Front case. . . . . . . 16

Pusan U. S. Cultural Center arson case. . . . . . . . . . 6

Unification and Revolution Party case. . . . . . . . . . . 5

"Five Pines" case. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Kwangminsa case (Lee Tae Bok). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Kwangju U.S. Cultural Center arson case. . . . . . . . . 1

Other National Security Law cases . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Total . . . . . . . . . . . 90

Detained Students

Students imprisoned prior to 1985 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Students arrested in connection with. . . . . . . . . . . . 19

sit-in at Seoul USIS library

Students arrested in connection with. . . . . . . . . . . . 7

demonstration at U.S. Embassy

Students arrested in connection with. . . . . . . . . . . . 3

incident at Pusan U. S. Cultural Center

Sammintu case, Kitbal case, etc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167

(June-Sept. 1985)

Students arrested on charges of violating. . . . . . . . 29

National Security Law (espionage cases, etc.)

Total . . . . . . . . . . . 241

Detained Workers

Workers arrested in connection with. . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Daewoo Automobile, strike (April, 1985)

Workers arrested in connection with. . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Daewoo Apparel strike (June 1985)

Workers arrested in connection with. . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

other labor incidents (June-Sept. 1985)

Total. . . . . . . . . . . . 71

Other Recent Detainees

Staffs of EYC, NYFD, etc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Teachers arrested for submitting articles . . . . . . . . . 3

to Minjung Education

Mokdong Redevelopment case, etc. . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Others . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Total. . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Grand Total, all categories . . . . . . . . . . . 430

U.S. - Related Incidents Since 1982

Kwangju U.S. Cultural Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . released

arson case (Dec. 1980)

Pusan U.S. Cultural Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

arson case (March 1982)

Kwangju U.S. Cultural Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

arson case (Nov. 1982)

KCAO Statement for the Detainees. . . . . . . . . released

in the Pusan arson case (April 1982)

American Flag-Burning case (1983). . . . . . . . . released

Pusan U.S. Cultural Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Stone-Throwing Incident (April 198 5)

Seoul USIS case (May 1985). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Farmers demonstration at . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . released

U.S. Embassy

Students demonstration a . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

U.S. Embassy (August 1985)

Total . . . . . . . . . . 36