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INTRODUCTION

For some time now the international news media has given the impression that President Chun Doo Hwan of South Korea has embarked on a policy of liberalisation – granting amnesty to political prisoners, allowing more political freedom to opponents, press, workers and students; making efforts towards reunion of the North and South. This in reality is far from the truth. Contrary to media reports the state of repression far from decreasing is heightening. Despite democratic pretensions and pronouncements of liberalisation the military dictatorship has come down with a heavy hand on its critics and opponents. The groups which have suffered the most at the hands of the regime are those of the students. The student community despite the massacre at Kwangju in 1980 continues to remain one of the most potent threats to the regime. They are in the vanguard of the struggle for democratization and are paying high price in their fight for freedom and liberty.

It is in this background that the World Student Christian Federation Asia/Pacific and the Christian Conference of Asia – Youth, organised an Ecumenical Fact Finding Team (EFFT) visit to Korea. The team originally comprised of five persons, 2 each from WSCF and CCA and one from the Asian Human Rights Commission. The member of the AHRC, retired High Court Judge Kenkichi Nakadaira of Japan could not join the team as he was refused Korean visa. This move on the part of the Korean government indicates their attitude regarding human rights.

The Fact Finding Team visited Korea from 3rd to the 9th of October 1985 and met a cross-section of the people — members of students organisations, representatives of workers, farmers, lawyers, journalists, professors, writers, politicians (including Kim Dae Jung and Lee Min Woo, President of the New Korea Democratic Party as well as other members of the party), church leaders, families of detainees, cultural groups and human right activists. The team requested for a meeting with ruling Democratic Justice Party, but was informed that party officials were not available, as they were busy with the annual meeting of the boards of directors of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) being held in Seoul at that time.