Calls for Truth and Justice Persist!

On February 4th, just one day before the 100th day anniversary of the Itaewon tragedy that occurred on October 29th, family members of the victims and citizens set up a memorial altar at Seoul Plaza. However, even after 100 days have passed, the truth about that day has yet to be properly investigated. The police’s special investigation unit and the national assembly’s investigation have ended with little success, as they only questioned on-site personnel and did not investigate the fundamental causes of the tragedy. On January 13th, Park Hee-young, the mayor of Yongsan-gu, and Kim Kwang-ho, the chief of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, were arrested and charged on charges of negligent homicide in the performance of official duties. However, the special investigation team decided not to press charges against Yoon Hee-Geun, the chief of police who did not deploy riot police to prevent the tragedy, Lee Sang-min, the minister of interior and safety, who is in charge of commanding and overseeing the police, and Oh Se-hoon, the mayor of Seoul, who should have taken responsibility for the disaster that happened in the very heart of Seoul. The investigation said that they do not have “concrete” responsibility for the disaster and therefore their acts cannot constitute a crime. Without having one proper face questioning, the investigation ended.

A parliamentary probe into the Itaewon Tragedy was also found to be inadequate. While the state, local government, and police were found responsible at a comprehensive level, many important facts could not be properly checked due to perjury or refusal to submit relevant evidence by attending institutions. In particular, the family members demand to know the exact time and place of the death of victims as they are either unknown and listed merely as ‘on the streets of Itaewon,’ and to have a thorough investigation in which the families can participate. The families also accuse the government of unfair treatment by trying to prevent them from coming together. The families demand to know what actually triggered this man-made disaster given that many of the police officers on that night were said to be undercover to investigate drug offenses rather than crowd-controlling. There is so much truth yet to be revealed. We demand the launch of an independent body to lead the investigation of the Itaewon tragedy. We ask you to stand with us in the pursuit of finding the truth of the Itaewon tragedy.

Researchers Honored at the ‘Twinkle Twinkle Distinguished Theis Award’ Ceremony for Shining Light on the Cold World.

On January 30th, the Participatory Society Research Institute hosted the presentation ceremony for the winners of the ‘Twinkle Twinkle Distinguished Thesis Award’ at the Areum-Dri hall in the PSPD. We offer our deep appreciation and encouragement to the researchers who expose the reality of our society and pursue practice-oriented research. These researchers include: Goo Ji-hye, who revealed in her research how labeling “teenage labor” as “deviant” on the pretext of protecting teenagers would lead to the denial of citizenship and labor rights for young women; Ahn Hwa-young, who shed light on how the urban poor, who were sacrificed in the brutal process of industrialization, gained their voice through the urban novels of the 1980s; Lee Hee-young, Jung Da-wool, and Jung Seong-jo, who tracked how the biopolitics in the K-covid19 strategy operated to exclude sexual minorities; and Shin Hyun-a, who studied Okpo Nobo, the newsletter of Dae-woo Shipbuilding Labor Union, and put together the process of how the workers tried to create and retain their own language in the contest with the capitalists after the ’87 Grand Struggle.

Two Years After Myanmar Coup, We Will Achieve The Spring Revolution With Myanmar People

On February 1st, it marked the two-year anniversary of the military coup in Myanmar. As of the end of January, the death toll of civilians in Myanmar had reached at least 2,901 people due to the military’s increasing violence against the people. Despite the military’s violent actions such as shooting, bombing, arson, and arrests, the people of Myanmar have not stopped fighting for democracy. In support of the pro-democracy movement, the Korean Civil Society in Support of Democracy in Myanmar, along with the Myanmar communities in Korea, held press conferences, rallies, and marches to condemn the Myanmar military and honor those who sacrificed their lives in the fight for democracy. It was a time for Korean civil society organizations to come together and raise their voices in support of the ongoing struggle for democracy in Myanmar.

NIS Urged to Relinquish Control of Espionage Investigations: A Core Reform for Democracy and Rule of Law

Concerns have been raised as the NIS raided the headquarters of labor unions over suspicions of anti-state activity, bringing back memories of the Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye administrations, which sought to create a police state by strengthening the authority of the NIS. As a result, the PSPD has joined the Democratic Oversight Networks of the NIS, a coalition of civil society organizations and congresspeople, to hold an emergency discussion. During the gathering, it was pointed out that attempts to reverse the core reform of the NIS – the transfer of authority to conduct anti-espionage investigations – are threatening both democracy and the rule of law, and must therefore be stopped.

South Korean Court Rules in Favor of Protesters’ Right to Pass in Front of Yoon’s Office

The PSPD has filed a lawsuit to revoke the ban on demonstrations near the presidential office imposed by the Yongsan Police Station. A Seoul Administrative Court ruled against the police, stating that the presidential office was not considered part of the presidential residence defined in Article 11, Paragraph 3 of the Assembly And Demonstration Act. This was the basis on which the police had issued dispositions banning gatherings. The court’s ruling is absolutely correct as it confirms that the police’s arbitrary interpretation was unlawful. Demonstrations that express the opinions of civilians about the president should take place where they can be seen and heard by the president.

“No” to E-Commerce Monopolies: Action Needed.

Recently, unfair practices by online platform operators such as Coupang, Kakao, and Naver Corp have been revealed one after another. The EU and the USA will soon put the Digital Market Act into force, which designates large online platforms as important gatekeepers and regulates anti-competitive behavior by companies. The “National Network for Fairness in Online Platforms,” of which the PSPD is a part, has proposed the “Online Platform Monopoly Regulation Act,” which is Korea’s version of the Digital Markets Act. They are working together with Rep. Lee Dong-ju of the Democratic Party to introduce this act.

Translated by a PSPD Volunteer

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Korea Peace Appeal Campaign International Partners Meeting

 70 years of the Korean War Armistice,
Let’s Build Peace Together!

Korea Peace Appeal has scheduled a Zoom meeting for international partners.

Military tension on the Korean peninsula is elevating amid the never-ending ceasefire. The risk of an accidental armed conflict is very high. The prospect of peace on the Korean Peninsula and Northeast Asia is not so bright. There is a desperate need for voices calling for peace.

Marking the 70th anniversary of the Korean War Armistice this year, the Korea Peace Appeal Campaign has launched a new project <Korea Peace Action for the 70 years of the Korean War Armistice>. We plan to continue the Korea Peace Appeal signature campaign but more intensively, and organize various peace actions all over the world.

We aim to share awareness of the current situation and introduce our plan for 2023 and discuss ideas and opinions on building peace on the Korean Peninsula through the meeting.

Please join us in building peace together!

Program

• Presentation : Current Crisis on the Korean Peninsula
  – Jae-Jung Suh (Professor for Politics and International Relations at International Christian University)
• Presentation : 2023 Plan and Introduction for International Participation
  – Korea Peace Appeal Campaign
• Discussion

We have set two individual sessions considering the time difference. The two sessions will cover the same content! Please register for a session that suits your schedule by clicking on the link beside each session.

Signature Campaign to End the Korean War
Sign the Korea Peace Appeal Now
endthekoreanwar.net

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(Bangkok/Kathmandu – 16 January 2023) – The Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) and 30 of its member organisations strongly condemn the Taliban’s recent ban on women and girls from higher education and employment in non-governmental organisations (NGOs). “The Taliban’s complete exclusion of women from public life, denying them their human rights and fundamental freedoms, can only be described as gender apartheid,” said the rights group in a statement today.

Since the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in August 2021, the Taliban has been persistent in erasing women from public life, denying women’s and girls’ rights to health, education, employment, freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, association and movement.

On December 21, 2022, the Taliban announced an indefinite ban on all Afghan women and girls from attending universities in Afghanistan. Subsequently, on December 24, 2022, the Taliban banned women from working in all local and international NGOs. These actions are an extension of prior restrictions on women and girls from attending secondary schools, working in government positions, going to public parks, female baths and gyms, and travelling without a male guardian. The Taliban has also ordered women-run small businesses in Balkh province to close their shop, for many of whom it was their only source of income. They have also directed hospitals to ensure that male doctors are no longer allowed to treat female patients, putting into jeopardy women’s access to healthcare. The Taliban has disallowed Afghans from travelling abroad without a valid reason and put a blanket ban on women travelling independently. Since the Taliban’s takeover, many western scholarships were rescinded, and now with these bans, it has become impossible for Afghan women to take advantage of diminished opportunities.

A survey by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) in Afghanistan found that 86% of 151 women-led/focused organisations surveyed were not operating or were only partially operating as a result of the ban. The survey also revealed that 1 in 3 women-led/focus organisations surveyed had to stop more than 70% of their activities due to the ban. Furthermore, 31% of these organizations were forced to cease all activities.

“Such bans have far-reaching consequences for not just Afghan women, but for all Afghans as female staff are essential to all humanitarian assistance and response in the country. With no access to education or opportunities, the future of Afghan women appears grim. Under Taliban rule, the country has unabashedly become an open prison for Afghan women and minorities, as well as for journalists and human rights defenders,” said the rights groups.

The Taliban has violently oppressed the peaceful protests by Afghan women and human rights defenders against the education ban. On December 22, 2022, a group of nearly 50 women protestors who intended to gather outside Kabul University, were physically assaulted and harassed, and some of them were detained along with journalists covering the protests.

These moves by the Taliban are against Afghanistan’s international human rights obligations and backslide from the Taliban’s initial promises of allowing women and girls a right to public participation.

We strongly condemn the Taliban’s continued abuse of human rights and its exclusionary policies, especially against women and girls, and demand that these bans be revoked immediately. We call upon the international community to ensure that the Taliban is held accountable for its unabated and grave human rights abuses and ensure that:

• Afghan women’s and girls’ right to education is upheld and to call for these bans to be lifted to ensure access to education for women and girls.
• Afghan women’s right to employment and livelihood, including access to work in governmental and non-governmental organisations, are respected and they are allowed to continue their work freely, without any fear of retaliation.
• Afghan women’s personal autonomy and fundamental freedoms are respected, including their right to movement and participation in public life.
• The Taliban respects and adheres to Afghanistan’s national and international obligations and commitments to human rights and protects all fundamental rights of women, girls and all minorities.

List of signatories:

Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA)
Ain O Salish Kendra (ASK), Bangladesh
Association of Women for Awareness & Motivation (AWAM), Pakistan
BALAOD Mindanaw, Philippines
Bir Duino Kyrgyzstan, Kyrgyzstan
Bir Duino, Kyrgyzstan
Bytes for All, Pakistan
Cambodian Human Rights and Development Association (ADHOC), Cambodia
Center for Human Rights and Development (CHRD), Mongolia
Centre for the Sustainable Use of Natural and Social Resources (CSNR), India
Covenants Watch, Taiwan
Defence of Human Rights, Pakistan
Globe International Center, Mongolia
Human Rights Alliance, Nepal
Indonesia Legal Aid Foundation – Yayasan Lembaga Bantuan Hukum Indonesia (YLBHI), Indonesia
Informal Sector Service Centre (INSEC), Nepal
International Legal Initiative Public Foundation (ILI), Kazakhstan
Jagriti Child and Youth Concern Nepal (JCYCN), Nepal
Kazakhstan International Bureau for Human Rights and Rule of Law, Kazakhstan
Korean House for International Solidarity (KHIS), South Korea
Madaripur Legal Aid Association (MLAA), Bangladesh
Maldivian Democracy Network, the Maldives
National Commission for Justice and Peace (NCJP), Pakistan
Odhikar, Bangladesh
PBHI (Indonesian Legal Aid and Human Rights Association), Indonesia
People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy (PSPD), South Korea
People’s Watch, India
Philippine Alliance of Human Rights Advocates (PAHRA), Philippines
Psychological Responsiveness NGO, Mongolia
Suara Rakyat Malaysia (SUARAM), Malaysia
Think Centre, Singapore

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