Other formats

    Adobe Portable Document Format file (facsimile images)   TEI XML file   ePub eBook file  

Connect

    mail icontwitter iconBlogspot iconrss icon

Salient. Victoria University Student Newspaper. Vol 37, No. 16. July 10, 1974

Don't call us; well be arresting you shortly" — Christian Concern About Korea

page 15

Don't call us; well be arresting you shortly"

Christian Concern About Korea

The pretence that the Korean War was [unclear: fought] in defence of the 'free world' has [unclear: been] mocked by the actions of President [unclear: Park] Chung Hee for many years. Since he [unclear: took] power in a military coup some 13 [unclear: years] ago, Park's record has been one of [unclear: institutional] abuse and repression, increas[unclear: ing] in proportion to the insecurity he feels, [unclear: despite] his fearsome military grip on [unclear: South] Korea.

Since January of this year, Park has [unclear: ued] tour restrictive 'emergency decrees', [unclear: nning] any attempt to amend or criticise [unclear: 'constitution']: the dictatorship over [unclear: executive,] legislative and judicial branches government, that he has exercised since [unclear: October] 1972, when martial law was impos. [unclear: The] latest decree authorises the death [unclear: penalty] tor anyone in any way associated [unclear: with] anti-government activities. The [unclear: decrees] were issued after student protests [unclear: and] petitions at the end of last year and [unclear: e] start of this year.

In March and April leaflets demanding [unclear: Park's] resignation were prepared and dis[unclear: tributed] and demonstrations took place [unclear: universities] and high schools in Seoul. [unclear: April] 3 a joint rally was planned to take [unclear: place] in front of Seoul's city hall; police, [unclear: Korean] CIA agents, riot police and militia, [unclear: cked] up by scores of riot control [unclear: licles] and paddy wagons, innundated the [unclear: ca]—but only a handful of demonstrators [unclear: ked] coming. Park's government proved [unclear: itself] to be still in control of the country, [unclear: t] that didn't forestall the issuing of the [unclear: ath] decree.

[unclear: Park] is apparently consumed with [unclear: paranoia]. In attempts to rally popular [unclear: support] for his government, he has been [unclear: conjuring] up a war scare; he claims the [unclear: testing] groups in South Korea to be [unclear: part] of a highly organised federation oper[unclear: ating] as a 'first-stage in North Korean [unclear: manoeuverings] to communise the country', [unclear: is] obsessed with his personal safety—in [unclear: ly] June, gunners shot down a US Huey [unclear: helicopter] that inadvertently strayed near [unclear: residence.]

Yet this supposed insecurity is Park's [unclear: satification] for the emergency decrees, the [unclear: attempts] to root out 'subversive elements'. But who are these 'communist agents'? Of the 40 persons sentenced between January and April, 14 are students, eight are Christian pastors and evangelists and seven are opposition party politicians. Four of these people are serving 15 year sentences. Kim Dae Jung, leader of the opposition and Park's rival in the 1971 elections, was kidnapped from a Tokyo hotel by agents of the Korean CIA last year and went on trial this June.

In the week before and after Emergency Measure 4, Seoul's West date Prison was teeming with political prisoners. More than 300 arrests were made, and many of them—including all of the leaders of the Korean Student Christian Federation (KSCF)—are still being held, incommunicado, and often without charges being pressed.

The KSCF is the first long-established organisation, to be decimated by government agents since martial law was declared. Involved in student work and urban mission, the KSCF over the years has consistently 'dared' to do such things as pray for democracy and hold seminars on social justice.

As well as this on April 6 it indicted 32 'spies' all of whom were highly respected citizens. During April 3—10 more than 700 students were interrogated by the KCIA.

By mid-April, police dragnets were out for dozens of student leaders, with $5,000 rewards on their heads. Also objects of intensive police searches were at least four KSCF (since captured) and a young woman.

Government pressure on the church's Urban Industrial Mission is not new. Five of the eight Christian pastors and evangelists imprisoned were related to Christian mission, among factory workers and slum dwellers. Though the projects have been small, the government has exhibited a heavy and pervasive paranoia about the work. It has been especially fearful that the churches might provide a link for solidarity between students and workers, but in truth there is little contact between the two.

The longevity of the Park regime is now a direct function of keeping the people as well as the students off balance with 'anti-communist' decrees. The government's censorship programme is very effective and there is very little accurate knowledge throughout the rest of South Korea of the events taking place in Seoul.

Park (in foreground) and Henchman, wondering. . . .

Park (in foreground) and Henchman, wondering. . . .

At the end of last year, some of Park's opponents were hopeful that there might be some restoration of freedom and democracy in the future; the actions of Park this year show only the prospect of further destruction of human rights. There is now no outlet left for protest and the possibility of large-scale violence and bloodshed at some point is increasing.

In New Zealand, there has been some reaction to the situation in South Korea.

The National Council of Churches national executive has supported the Korean Christians undergoing harrassment and the Presbyterian International Affairs Committee has indicated that they are interested in pursuing the question in conjunction with the WCC theme of Human Rights. They suggest there is need for a study on the question of 'Human Rights and New Zealand's Foreign Policy', since many of the countries New Zealand has diplomatic relations with have repressive governments.

The NZ Student Christian Movement has protested about the imprisonment and has undertaken to help raise the legal fees of those members of the KSCF charged under the decrees (the effort to help these students is being co-ordinated by the Asia committee of the World Student Christian Student Federation, to which both NZSCM and KSCF are affiliated).

Mr Kirk is aware of events taking place in South Korea but is not yet prepared to take any steps in relation to New Zealand's trade and aid relationships with that country.

New Zealand gives no aid to North Korea, but gave some $127,000 to South Korea in 1973/73 in the form of technical co-operation and provision of materials in the agricultural field. Arguably, this aid is 'non-political' in nature, but any aid which enables the Park regime to enhance some sort of appearance of serving the interests of the Korean people, as a whole, is in view of Park's repressive policies, a disservice to these people and particularly to those imprisoned for political 'crimes'.

The aid should be stopped while the repression continues.

—Contributed by VUW Student Christian Movement.