Under Coverage

Good to see, last Thursday, a legend for investigative reporters and whistle-blowers walk on the stage of the Seoul Digital Forum.

A movie was made about a key episode of Lowell Bergman's professional life: in 'The Insider' (1999), Bergman (Al Pacino) helps Dr. Jeffrey Wigand (Russel Crowe) expose the big tobacco imposture, before exposing himself attempts by his employer (CBS) to bury the story. In the end, truth and journalism triumph because Bergman breaks the 'every journo for himself' rule by sharing his story with competitors.

Thursday at the DDP, I couldn't help but feel sad, thinking how badly this region needs people like Bergman. Last year, I did watch, on the same stage, a Korean take at investigative journalism*, but Newstapa remains a bit too much data-centric and politically biased. To be fair, South Korean media are so overwhelmingly conservative and reluctant to mention certain issues, that liberal sources such as Hankyoreh or Newstapa tend to over-dramatize their own reporting.

Since it's hard to break truly valuable stories in a corrupt system**, some manage to emerge through netizen spheres... when they are not drowned in an ocean of hoaxes and wild rumors.

It speaks volumes that South Korea ranks now as the 'least bad' nation in the Press Freedom Index for a region where everybody regressed over the past few years (RSF 2015 vs 2010***):

• South Korea 60th (42nd in 2010, -18)
• Japan 61st (11th, -50)
• Russia 152nd (140th, -12)
• China 176th (171th, -5)
• North Korea 179th (177th, always second to last - Eritrea)

No need to comment on Kim Jong-un's North Korea, Putin's Russia, or even Xi Jinping's China, where hopes for change were short-lived, and censorship gets more pervasive by the day.

What strikes most - but certainly doesn't come as a surprise to us - is Japan's skydive from the 11th to the 61st position.

Shinzo Abe's attacks on press freedom, intensified after his outrageous State Secrecy Law, are seldom mentioned in Japan's mainstream media, and no one dare denounce them, except foreign correspondents that take the risk of being shunned by the government. Among the few local voices, Shigeaki Koga could only make himself be heard at the Foreign Correspondents' Club, or last week in the New York Times ("The Threat to Press Freedom in Japan" (Shigeaki Koga - NYT 20150520). Most Japanese citizens are kept in the dark, and obviously the "Effort by Japan to Stifle News Media Is Working" (Martin Fackler - 20150426).

To make things worse, the only significant media that (barely) challenged Abe's Nippon Kaigi-friendly agenda seems to have finally castrated itself. And since Fuji Media Holdings bought GPlus Media, I haven't read any significant story on that agenda in Japan Today (FMH also owns Sankei Shimbun...).

Censorship peaks at NHK following the nomination of a friend of Shinzo Abe at the helm of the broadcaster

Hopefully, Japanese citizens remain uncomfortable with Abe's attack on their peaceful constitution. But for how long? Public opinions are changing quickly, and the government fuels fear and hatred with some success... and what to say of America's failure to assist a Japan in danger (see ""History is harsh" and other sick jokes")?

Speaking of the devil, the US themselves are not on a very positive trend at the Press Freedom Index (from 20th to 49th between 2010 and 2015). The UK? Nothing to be proud either (from 19th to 34th). And if my home country France went up a bit (from 44th to 38th), it's bound to crash next year following the Charlie Hebdo massacre or the controversial 'Projet de Loi Relatif au Renseignement' it triggered.

But who am I to judge anyway? Do I need to remind you that my lousy blogs have been labeled Weapons of Mass Disinformation since 2003?

Seoul Village 2015
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* "Truth, Lies and Data" - Kwon Hyejin, Newstapa - SDF2014 - data and investigative journalism
** see also "Korea's media malaise" (John Power, Groove Magazine 20141103)
*** out of 178 countries in 2010, 180 in 2015
**** see "'Comfort Women': No Resolution Without Resoluteness. From Everyone, Please."


--- UPDATE 20150528 ---

This, from Human Rights Watch (about the National Security Act, a cold-war relic) : "South Korea: Cold War Relic Law Criminalizes Criticism".

South Korea's Super PAC

In the US, politics are a matter of PACs, the Political Action Commitees that make or destroy candidates. But in Korea, the PAC that matters these days is the PARK Won-soon / AHN Cheol-soo / CHUNG Mong-joon trio.

Never mind PARK Geun-hye: Korean presidents tend to turn into lame ducks as soon as they're elected*, because of the one term limit designed to prevent the return of dictatorship.

Before getting back to that Korean PAC, let me finish my point on this safeguard of democracy that (as I last mentioned here in a stateofthedisunionish focus ahead of the 2012 presidential race, when the constitution turned 25 - see "25 years later") contributes to South Korea's very unique imbalance of power.

Again, in this country, the executive branch is almost powerless, the legislative branch utterly divided, the judiciary branch and the media not really independent, and democracy has no control whatsoever over the two forces that actually make and unmake kings: chaebol and netizens.

Some Saenuri lawmakers have been lobbying in favor of a constitutional change allowing a second mandate, but potential successors from all sides are probably not very happy with the timing, particularly since the first beneficiary would ironically be the daughter of PARK Chung-hee, the man who got rid of the two term limit to roll out his own Yushin Constitution.

Personally, I think that South Korea should return to a 2-term system, but also that, ideally and to prevent any misunderstanding, this major constitutional reform should be voted for the following administration, and not benefit any acting president. Furthermore, the impacts on the rest of the political system should be carefully taken into account.

For instance, in France, Jacques Chirac reduced the presidential term from 7 to 5 years, and I supported the move. But he didn't change the term of office for the members of the parliament (for example to 4 years), which I considered a must in order to avoid a major disruption in the dynamics of what passes for my country's democracy: our MPs are also elected for 5 years, and our President has the power to dissolve the parliament... As expected, this new political calendar is crippling France's Fifth Republic. But hopefully, the case for asynchronous elections may soon be raised, now that my fellow citizens have realized that they have to do with President Hollande for 5 years without any chance to make him change

No such problem in Korea, where Presidents are elected for 5 years, and MPs for 4 years. 

Back to South Korea's Super PAC now. In this local election year, the big prize remains Seoul City Hall, the ideal springboard to Cheong Wa Dae, with PARK Won-soon still leading in the most recent polls:

"Poll data shows incumbents leading ahead of local elections" (The Hankyoreh 20140310)

According to The Hankyoreh (progressive), the incumbent would win with a comfortable margin against any of the 3 declared Saenuri candidates: LEE Hye-hoon (56.1 v. 24.7%), KIM Hwang-sik (51.1 v. 31.8%), and CHUNG Mong-joon (47.5 v. 39.2%).

The closest to PGH among the 3, LEE champions the fight against chaebol domination, and caused a splash when she criticized the Lotte World Tower in Jamsil. But for the moment, this positioning as a counterweight within the conservative party doesn't make her very audible against the charismatic liberal incumbent. Serving as Prime Minister under the very divisive LEE Myung-bak doesn't help KIM's cause, even if a former Supreme Court justice from Jeollanam-do sounds like the perfect profile to reach across the aisle.

If CHUNG Mong-joon has got the most to lose in joining the race, he would all but secure a presidential win in 2017 by defeating PARK on June 4th. His main rival would then be AHN Cheol-soo, who would have only 3 years to completely reform Korean politics.

Right now, Saenuri is much more the well oiled machine of a party than a Democratic Party completely split between different currents, and unable to build a common platform beyond opposition and demonstrations. UPP scandals were the perfect opportunity to clarify ideological lines, but the organization keeps piling up electoral losses and postponing long overdue reforms.

If the rapprochement between the DP and AHN Cheol-soo's new party was inevitable (be it only as a non-aggression pact ahead of the upcoming elections), the discussions promise to be as complex as the ones that failed during the autumn 2012 and paved the way for PARK Geun-hye's victory over MOON Jae-in. 

With or without KIM Han-gil's help, AHN has yet to prove he can reform the system from the inside. So far, he managed to recruit more than a few key lawmakers for his "New Politics" party, but disappointed by drafting a veteran politico who worked for CHUN Doo-hwan, PARK Geun-hye and MOON Jae-in (YOON Yeo-jun), and by forgetting to nominate at least one woman in his executive team. 

In any case, this thankless task won't be as glamorous as a tenure as Seoul mayor and come 2017, AHN could find himself in a 2012-like situation, should she man he helped get the job in 2011 get reelected next June.

June 4th really looks like a make-or-break moment for both PARK and CHUNG, to the point the latter may decide to pull out of the race. After all, he already did that during his presidential bid, and in favor of ROH Moo-hyun against LEE Hoi-chang (just a reminder how lines can move here). Besides, CHUNG can do without the prestige of City Hall (cf Hyundai Heavy Industries, ASAN Institute, FIFA, 7 terms as a lawmaker...).

But if "Paris is worth a mass", Seoul is worth a race, and whoever wins, I'm curious to see which vision for the future of Korea emerges.


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* a curse that does have its charms, see for instance "Sejong City and the beauty of lameduckhood"

Armistice, Amnesia, Apostasy

60 years ago, the Korean Armistice Agreement enabled a ceasefire in a Korean War that has yet to be formally ended. The document was signed in Kaesong, a city that still today remains in the headlines (for different reasons? go figure).

If both Koreas are closer than ever, that's only because the DMZ has dramatically shrunk since the Armisitice: from 992 to 570 sqkm, the supposedly 4 km-wide stretch on each side of the line measuring less than 2 km in various spots*.



Both Koreas closer than ever! The incredible shrinking #DMZ lost 43% since #KoreanWar #armistice bit.ly/147AoPS
twitter.com/theseoulvillage/status/360300435300548609
 

Hell, a truce has yet to be found between the two South Koreas, still very much politically divided, and not only because of another "mobile" frontier (see the NLL saga, and the elusive transcripts of the 2007 ROH Moo-hyun - KIM Jong-il meeting).

On a brighter note, South Korea and China are more successfully burying the hatchet. Beyond the touching meeting of Chinese and Korean veterans, or PARK Geun-hye's offer to return the remains of Chinese troops fallen in Korea, the simple fact that for the first time, the Beijing Regime refered to the conflict as the "Korean War" and not the "war against the US and to help the DPRK" signals that the reconciliation can also reach all the way to America, where Barack Obama just proclaimed July 27 Korean War Veterans Armistice Day.

The conflict is not over, but the world starts moving on. With notable exceptions, and not only in the Strange Kimdom up North.

Of course, Japan is moving in the wrong direction. Shinzo Abe didn't wait long after his electoral success to confirm its warmongering stance: he already added drones and amphibious units to his suicidal wishlist**.

But let's not forget that South Korea too can move in the wrong direction. Under Lee Myung-bak, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission was torpedoed, and the teaching of History at school undermined, contributing to an already acute education crisis***. Park Geun-hye does intend to fix this, and she recently declared "The history of a country is like the soul of the people. If a person grows to be a citizen without proper knowledge of history, that person could be left without a soul".


Shame on #Korea: can't celebrate #Armistice, criticize #Japan #revisionism & stop teaching #History http://bit.ly/14821zL @koreatimes1
twitter.com/theseoulvillage/status/360904693637054467

But this is not just about the soul of the people as individuals: it's about the people as a nation, at the very fundamentals of democracy. Remember that you'll always find a minority who'd love to see Korea follow Japan's path and submit its whole political system to a tiny yet almighty anti-democratic force, to the risk of renouncing democracy altogether.

So this is not just about teaching History, but about doing it fairly. Korea doesn't need more twisted and biases takes at history, and we regularly come across these, be it in MB's Museum of Contemporary History, or in recent commemorations of the June Uprising.

Again, this President of the Republic of Korea has a historic opportunity to lead the region by example, and to expose impostors from all horizons starting by the ones who are undermining the nation from within. For that to happen, she must make sure her own familial history is properly and fairly taught at school.

Then she can ask the same to Mr. Abe with a resounding legitimacy, and ask the Korean people to resume its indispensable truth and reconciliation effort.


Seoul Village 2013
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* see "Report: since armistice signing, DMZ has shrunk by 43%" (he Hankyoreh - 130725)
** see previous episodes: "Shinzo Abe: an offensive Defense White Paper ahead of the elections... and Constitutional Revolution", followed by "To better bridge the gap between Japan, Korea, and China, let's measure the gap within Japan". And now "Japan Defense Paper Calls for Strengthened Military" (Chosun Ilbo 20130727)
*** a recurent theme on this excuse for a blog, see latest mention in the final paragraphs of "Teaching Geography - Dokdo Inside" (March 20, 2013), which allows me not to mention here that even more embarrassing pro-creationism episode... Not to mention today's news ("History ignored in classrooms" - Korean Times 20130726).

Silver lining, darker clouds

Good news first. US Representative Mike HONDA sent this tweet yesterday: "Just visited nation's 1st comfort women memorial in Palisades Park, NJ. Proud to bring attention to their suffering", along with a picture where, to his right, we recognize Mayor James RETUNDO and Deputy Mayor Jason KIM (we met last year at ASAN Institute - see "We reject as false the choice between revisionism and nationalism - for a Global Truth and Reconciliation Network").



Mike HONDA has been in office since 2001 in the Californian district hosting the Silicon Valley, but his record reaches far beyond the predictable high tech or immigration issues. HONDA was born in Walnut Grove, CA just a few months before the attack on Pearl Harbor, and grew up in a Japanese American internment camp. So he knows a thing or two about Japan history, as well as about unfair discrimination. For instance, in the wake of 9/11, he stood up for American Muslims, who were too often conflated with terrorists. And of all members of the House of Representatives, it was this Japanese American who proposed the Resolution 121 demanding formal apologies from Japan for Imperial Japan's sexual slavery system (reminder: the resolution passed in 2007).

Good news again, but of the lukewarm kind: the Abenomics imposture seems to be wearing off. Don't get me wrong: I'm not happy that Japan's economic revival is weakening, I love Japan, and I want this country to succeed. I'm just satisfied that people start questioning Shinzo Abe's trick: this dangerous leader was not trying to help Japan, but bribing the Japanese people at their own expenses in order to pass anti-democratic reforms (see "ABE forced to back down a bit. For the moment. Next PR stunt: KIM Jong-un").

Now entering bad news territories. I just read a distressing Hankyoreh reportage about "Inside Japan’s growing xenophobic right-wing", where Zaitokukai, a hate group, invited media to feed the buzz. Stopping very very very short of calls for murders, these guys don't hide their hatred of Koreans and Korean Japaneses / Zainichi; they don't hesitate to parade in Tokyo's Koreatown, just like Toru Hashimoto, the Mayor of Osaka, the city that hosts the biggest Korean community, doesn't hesitate to issue the most outrageous provocations about the victims of Imperial Japan's sexual slavery programs (see "So you want to know what is 'necessary', Mr Hashimoto?").
 
And if you browse the web, you can easily find similar nauseous xenophobic stuff. Without leaving the twittersphere, take these pieces of junk for instance:
 

"Japanese beauty VS filthy korean" - note the flags, the pseudo and Twitter handle...

 

"Women who are pretending Japanese" - note the outrage to the memorial statue for the victims of sexual slavery (see "One Thousand Wednesdays")...

 

If Japan doesn't have the exclusivity for extremist minorities, it's high time that authorities did something to outlaw openly racist organizations and individuals.
 
Of course, with "authorities" such as Shinzo Abe, calling for a minimum of decency is just wishful thinking.


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Seoul free school lunch referendum (continued)

Confirming a clear political divide over a more than symbolic issue, The Hankyoreh, Korea's main liberal daily newspaper, wants to "End Mayor Oh's free school lunch referendum".

I've already mentioned this debate*, but I'll make my position even clearer at a personal level :

- I think Seoul's Mayor is right to promote a welfare society over welfare populism, and that's truly what this free school lunch issue is all about. No : free lunch for all is no more sustainable than free healthcare for all. And yes : it is fair for the wealthiest to pay for the poorest. That's the way welfare states usually work, and in France, the ones favoring that concept over free school lunches are more often liberal than conservative leaning. I'm not sure the conservative groups that collected signatures for the referendum** are aware of that evidence (ditto for the liberal lobbies denouncing the motion as unjust).

- I don't think Oh Se-hoon is helping his case by pushing at the same time for more controversial projects, and I'm glad some of them didn't make the cut under the new municipal majority***.

- I'm not in favor of a referendum, but it seems the only way to make a necessary change. Very risky for OH (presidential future at stake), this vote is more the consequence of a sterile war within the City Council. I agree with The Hankyoreh about the "national governance" issue, but no debate seems possible here, and the same can be said at the national level. This is not a us-vs-them, black-and-white world, and politicians should be able to support a cause they deem just, even if it comes from the other side, or denounce a bad project even if it's the dream of a leader they respect. Beyond school systems, Korean politics need to change.

- I was pleased to see both OH Se-hoon re-elected as Seoul Mayor and KWAK No-hyun elected as Seoul Education Superintendent because both sides were represented. But I did wish for a better mutual understanding, leveraging on common ground and values across party lines****.

- The whole situation is absurd. What Korea needs is a better coverage for healthcare and a fairer educational system, challenges for which I'm sure OH and KWAK can fight on the same side. Ideally, both parties should convene and find a solution before the referendum, but if it were to be staged, people in favor of social justice, regardless of their political color, should vote against free school lunches for all.

Seoul Village 2011
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* see "Seoul-Incheon canal"
** BTW after checking, the final count of signatures appears closer to the minima required, which explains why so many where gathered in the first place (petitions are rarely reliable)
*** see "The fastuous and the furious : trimming down Seoul city's most embarrassing projects"
**** see "Oh Se-hoon 2.0"

Next target : the Supreme Court ?

In what appears to be probably one of the clumsiest attempts ever to undermine the independence of justice in a democracy, Korea's ruling Grand National Party tries to increase the number of Supreme Justices from 14* to 24, officially to facilitate their work and to "diversify" their judgements. Of course, such a move would guarantee the control on all "judgements" from the Supreme Court of Korea.

Even Pervez Musharraf wouldn't have dared changing the rules that boldly. Note that on a more discreet note, the bill would raise the minima of age and legal experience to 45 years and 15 years respectively... which would prevent judges promoted under liberal leaning presidents KIM Dae-jung and ROH Moo-hyun from passing the cut...

Incredibly enough, this party doesn't even need to rush : President Lee Myung-bak already replaced 3 judges and a few more will retire by the end of his mandate, so time is on their side.

Unsurprisingly, this outrageous crusade is led by the same minority of hardliners who want to nuke the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Korea are pushing hard for a comprehensive witch hunt across Korea's legal system. They already tried but failed to remove certain Supreme Justices, starting with Chief Justice Lee Yong-hoon... who by the way pointed out this embarrassing evidence : "Even during the military government, they never had the notion of exercising the right to appoint judges"**. Indeed, briefing these extremists about some fundamentals of democracy could definitely help.

All this would be comical if the stakes weren't that vital for the future of democracy in Korea. Let's hope democrats from all parties will join to make sure this infamous bill doesn't pass.

This episode does raise interesting issues though : even with their flocks of assistants, Supreme Justices have much too much work to do. According to the Chosun Ilbo, "in 2009, a total of 32,361 cases were brought before the Supreme Court, where 12 judges handled around 2,700 cases each that year, or seven a day".***

But this reform can certainly not be masqueraded as a "stopgap measure" : adding 10 members wouldn't make each justice's workload any lighter since each one must be as much aware of each case as the others, and the best way to improve the situation would be, as the Chosun suggests and as many countries do, to leave smaller appeals to High Courts.

If letting a few quick-tempered extremists decide of the future of justice in Korea would be a mistake, considering that all members of the ruling party want the end of democracy in Korea would be another. And I'm glad to see that, according to the same Chosun Ilbo, a committee working under the Ministry of Justice is considering the partial legalization of abortion which could, unlike some may think (see "Wrong question, wrong answer"), have positive effects on natality in Korea.

Seoul Village 2010

* The Supreme Court of Korea : scourt.go.kr. 13 of the 14 Supreme Justices render opinions, the 14th is only a Minister of Court Administration.
** "GNP aiming to sacrifice judicial independence for party ideology" (The Hankyoreh)
*** "Hiring More Supreme Court Judges Is a Stopgap Measure" (The Chosun Ilbo 20100318)

Joint Memorial in the Land of the Mourning Calm

Dado-myeon, Naju-si, Jeollanam-do : a place like many others.

Here too, many people died during the Korean War. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Korea established the sad score at 176-104 in "favor" of Southern officials against communists.

The Hankyoreh related this morning ("Commemorating victims of the Korean War" - Hankyoreh 20091116) how last Friday, 200 residents overcame old resistances to commemorate, all together, all victims in a joint memorial service.

The journalist quoted a spokesperson who had these words of wisdom : "We think that the victims would wish for their descendents to strengthen the community through forgiveness and cooperation".

There is no better way of looking towards the future : assessing the past, accepting it, recognizing all victims, respecting their memories, curing anger and bitterness by embracing reconciliation.

Dado-myeon, Naju-si, Jeollanam-do : a place like many others.

For one day capital of reunited Korea, and forever in our hearts.


Seoul Village 2009

* see "Truth and Reconciliation : which model for Korea ?"


---
ADDENDUM 20091103

A few more joint memorials (source TRCK) :

20091017 - Joint Memorial Service for Civilian Victims in the Ganghwa and Gyodong-do Region
The joint memorial service for civilian victims in the Ganghwa and Gyodong-do regions was held on October 17, 2009. Sponsored by the regional bereaved family association (Representative Seo Young-seon), the memorial ceremony was prepared to console the spirits of the dead who were killed around the time of the January 4th Retreat in 1951. From the Commission’s investigation last March, the 183 civilian victims who were identified were honored at this ceremony. The 5th regiment chief of the Jeonjin Marine Corps, speaking on behalf of the Minister of Defense, Kim Tae-young, said in his memorial address, “We, the military of the nation, will put forth our utmost effort to protect the lives and the property of the people, and the findings of these investigations will be our lessons from the past.”

20091019 - Unveiling Ceremony of the Yeosun Incident Memorial Statue
On October 19, 2009, a memorial service was held in front of the Yeosun Incident Memorial Statue in the city of Yeosu . The ceremony was attended by some 100 people including civil activists, bereaved families, etc. The statue was erected to commemorate the incident, which took place 60 years ago. It bears a detailed engraving that describes the brutal truth of the incident.

20091020 - Joint Memorial Ceremony for Civilian Victims of the Yeosun Incident
Commemorating the 61st anniversary of the Yeosun Incident, some 150 people including bereaved family members, gathered in a field at Suncheon Palma Gymnasium on October 20, 2009. During the ceremony, a memorial service for 439 civilian victims, who were identified through the Commission’s investigation, was held. For the first time, the government subsidized the cost of the memorial service due to the Commission’s case report.
The regiment chief of Suncheon 95th Regiment spoke on behalf of the Ministry of Defense when he said in his memorial address, “It is fortunate to console the spirits of the victims and restore their honor. Our army will put forth our utmost effort to protect the lives and the property of the people, and thus, meeting a high expectation placed upon my shoulders.”
Additionally, he said, “It was fortunate that the Commission’s truth verification was publicized to restore the honor of the victims and their families. Taking this as an exemplary case, the army will do our best to protect the lives and the property of the victims in order to meet the expectations of the people.”

20091021 - Joint Memorial Ceremony for Civilian Victims in the Haenam Region
The joint memorial ceremony for civilian victims in the Haenam region was held on October 21, 2009. Approximately 150 people attended the ceremony, including Kim Dong-choon, the Commission’s standing commissioner; Im Tae-hwan, a representative of the Pan-national Civilian Massacre Victims’ Association; and Kim Chil-seong, a police chief of the Haenam Police.
The ceremony began with the opening remarks of Choi Myung-jin, an anchor for the Christian Broadcasting Station, and also a representative of the National Bereaved Family Association. This was followed by a ritual dance for the dead, an introduction of the Commission’s investigation, and the dictation of memorial addresses by Kim Dong-choon, the Commission’s standing commissioner, and the regional police chief.

20091022 - Joint Memorial Ceremony for Civilian Victims in the Wando RegionThe joint memorial ceremony for civilian victims in the Wando region was held on October 22, 2009. Approximately 400 attendees were present at the ceremony, including Kim Dong-choon, the Commission’s standing commissioner; Oh Won-rok, a chairperson of the National Bereaved Family Association of Civilian Victims; Kim Jong-sik, the governor of Wando-gun; and Kim Jae-seok, the police chief of the Wando Coast Guard. The memorial ceremony was comprised of a funeral ritual and traditional ritual dance, a report introducing the investigation process at the Commission, a memorial poem reading, and a flower offering.

20091023 - Joint Memorial Ceremony for Civilian Victims in the Yeosu and Suncheon Regions
The joint memorial ceremony for civilian victims in the Yeosu and Suncheon regions was held on October 23, 2009. Some 150 attendees were present at the ceremony including bereaved family members. A traditional funeral ritual for the victims was followed by memorial addresses, a narration of memorial poems, and a flower offering.

20091031 - Joint Memorial Ceremony for Civilian Victims in the Pyeongtaek Region
A joint memorial ceremony for civilian victims in the Pyeongtaek region was held on October 31, 2009. Approximately 100 people attended the event. The ceremony included a reading of the memorial statement, traditional funeral rituals, a presentation on the Commission’s investigation results, a flower offering, etc. Unable to attend the ceremony, Kang Hee-rak, the police chief of the Korean National Police Agency and Ahn Byung-ook, the president of the Commission, sent their memorial addresses to the ceremony. These addresses were based on the findings of the Commission’s investigation of ‘Civilian Massacre in Pyeongtaek Cheongbuk-myeon Region.’

20091104 - Joint Memorial Service for Victims Related to the National Guidance Alliance Incidents in Ulsan Region
A joint memorial ceremony for victims of the National Guidance Alliance was held on Nov. 4, 2009, in Ulsan. Approximately 500 people attended the ceremony, including Song Ki-in, the former president of the TRCK; Park Maeng-woo, the city mayor of Ulsan; Yun Myung-hee, the chairperson of the Ulsan City Council; etc. In his memorial statement, Park stated that the Ulsan National Guidance Alliance Incident was such a horrible atrocity beyond description due to the massive victimization of civilians by the state. He found it fortunate that people could gather on that day to console the spirits of the dead.
The Commission verified that 407 registered members of the National Guidance Alliance were shot to death by the state power in August 1950. This was the first time the National Guidance Alliance Register was publicized. On January 24, 2008, the former president of the Republic of Korea, Roh Moo-hyun, officially apologized for the state’s illegal action against civilian victims.

20091105 - Joint Memorial Ceremony for Civilian Victims of the Andong Region
A joint memorial ceremony for civilian victims in the Andong region was held on November 5, 2009. Hosted by the regional bereaved family association, some 150 attendees paid their honor and respect to the victims. The attendees included Kim Dong-choon, the standing commissioner of the TRCK; Kim Hwi-dong, Andong City Mayor; Yoo Seok-woo, the chairperson of the Andong City Council; etc.
The event included a traditional funeral ceremony, a ritual ceremony, a spiritual funeral performance, and a flower offering. The Ministry of Defense issued an official apology to the civilians who were killed in Andong City by the military and local police. The Commission identified 64 victims.

Today's news

Korean news in English:

• Yonhap News Agency: https://en.yna.co.kr 
  

• Daily newspapers:
• Korea JoongAng Daily: https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/
• Chosun Daily: http://english.chosun.com/ 
• Hankyoreh: http://english.hani.co.kr/
• dongA Ilbo: https://www.donga.com/en 
• The Korea Herald: https://www.koreaherald.com/
• The Korea Times: https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/

• Business news:
• The Korea Economy Daily Global Edition: https://www.kedglobal.com/
• The Pulse by Maeil Business Korea: https://pulse.mk.co.kr/