이러고도 제대로 된 대통령인가?

모든 수단을 다해 철저히 진상을 밝혀야 한다
진실은폐와 꼬리자르기는 더 큰 화를 불러올 것

어제(10/24) JTBC를 통해 박근혜 대통령의 비선 실세인 최순실 씨가 대통령의 각종 연설문과 국무회의 등의 대통령 발언(말씀)자료를 사전에 받아본 것을 뒷받침하는 자료가 공개되었다. 충격적이다. 이런 상황만으로도 제대로 된 청와대와 대통령이라고 할 수 없다.

대체 대통령이 어떻게 했길래 이런 일까지 있었다는 말인가? 어떠한 공식적인 직책, 권한도 없는 최 씨에게 대통령의 연설문이 어떻게 제공될 수 있었을까? 청와대의 누가, 그리고 왜 최 씨에게 연설문을 사전에 제공했는가? 대통령이 과연 몰랐다고 할 일인가? 그저 아는 수준에 그치는 게 아니라 직접 미리 제공하라고 지시하지 않았나?
박 대통령은 지난 20일 수석비서관회의에서 최 씨가 중심에 있는 미르-K스포츠재단의혹 사건을 두고, 청와대의 강요도 없었고, 개인비리가 있으면 검찰이 잘 수사해보라는 식으로 말했다. 그러나 이제 최순실게이트는 개인비리가 아니라 청와대, 특히 대통령과도 뗄 수 없는 사건이라고 확정되었다.
 
여기서 그치지 않는다. 대통령의 연설문을 사전에 받아보는 정도의 위세를 가진 최 씨라면 연설문에만 관여했을까? 청와대 비서진 교체를 비롯해 정부기관이나 공공기관의 인사 교체에도 개입하지는 않았을까? 대통령의 순방계획 등 다른 일정에도 영향을 끼치지 않았겠나? 미르와 K스포츠재단 사건도 최 씨가 관여한 비리사건의 극히 일부이지 않을까? 그리고 이 모든 것에도 대통령과 청와대가 다 함께 움직인 것 아닌가? 우병우 민정수석 같은 인물은 이런 상황을 조사해보려던 이석수 특별감찰관을 내치는 역할만 한 것은 아닌가?
 
박 대통령이 진상규명을 거부하고 입을 닫아버리거나 꼬리자르기를 시도해서는 안 된다. 극소수 핵심과 비선 실세끼리 모여 진실을 감추려고 아등바등거리는 게 부질없다는 것을 깨달아야 한다. 사실을 있는 대로 밝히고, 언론과 국회에 의한 진상규명에 모든 것을 협조해야 한다. 그리고 국회도 특별검사의 수사가 시작되도록 신속히 절차를 밟아야 할 것이다.
참여연대뿐만 아니라 모든 국민들이 이 사태를 그냥 넘어가지 않을 것이다. 국민의 분노를 제대로 바라보지 않다가는 더 큰 사태를 불러올 것이다. 끝.

박근혜-최순실-전경련 합작품 ‘규제프리존법’ 문제점 진단 좌담회

법률, 보건의료, 개인정보보호, 환경, 경제민주화 등 분야별 문제 점검
일시 및 장소 : 11월 30일(수) 오전 10시, 국회의원회관 제1소회의실

• 정부는 지역전략산업 육성을 위한 규제프리존의 지정과 운영에 관한 특별법(이하 규제프리존법)을 침체된 경제를 활성화시키는 핵심법안으로 추진하고 있음. 규제프리존법은 새누리당이 20대 국회 첫날 발의하고, 박근혜 대통령이 20대 국회 첫 연설에서 “규제프리존법이 역할을 할 수 있게 국회가 생명을 불어넣어달라”고 호소한 법안임.
• 규제프리존법은 박근혜-최순실-전경련의 합작법안이라는 정황이 차고 넘치는 상황임. 미르·K스포츠재단을 설립 과정에서 재벌들의 입금이 완료된 바로 다음 날 박근혜 대통령은 서비스산업발전기본법과 규제프리존법이 핵심내용인 경제활성화법 처리를 특별 주문하고, 전경련이 ‘규제청정구역’(규제프리존)의 통과를 요구하자 박근혜 대통령은 전경련이 주도하는 경제활성화법 입법 촉구 서명 운동에 동참함. 또한 창조경제혁신센터의 사업계획은 규제프리존 세부 계획과 일치하며, 이를 총괄할 창조경제추진단장으로 차은택이 임명된 바 있음. 
• 이에 대한 철저한 수사와 진상규명이 요구되는 상황에서 정부와 국회는 19대 국회에서도 지적된 바 있는 문제와 위험성을 그대로 담아, 규제프리존법을 통해 경제살리기와 일자리 문제가 다 해결되는 것처럼 호도하며 이를 추진하고 있음. 
• 하지만 규제프리존법은 무려 71개나 되는 규제 특례를 통해 포괄적인 규제 완화를 시도하고 있으며, 국민의 건강과 안전이 검증되지 않은 경기 활성화의 목표 아래에서 희생될 우려가 있음. 
• 이에 규제프리존법의 문제점을 분야별로 점검하는 긴급좌담회를 다음과 같이 진행하여, 규제프리존법의 폐기를 촉구하고자 함. 

박근혜-최순실-전경련 합작품 ‘규제프리존법’ 문제점 진단 좌담회
2016.11.30.(수) 오전 10시, 국회의원회관 제1소회의실
주최 : 윤소하 국회의원, 추혜선 국회의원, 경제민주화실현전국네트워크, 무상의료운동본부, 전국유통상인연합회, 전국을살리기국민본부, 진보네트워크센터, 참여연대, 환경운동연합

프로그램 

○ 사회 : 전성인 홍익대학교 교수
○ 인사말

• 추혜선 국회의원
• 김경자 무상의료운동본부 공동집행위원장│민주노총 부위원장

○ 발제

• 법률적 문제 : 김남희 참여연대 복지조세팀장│변호사
• 보건의료 문제 : 최규진 건강권실현을위한보건의료단체연합 기획국장
• 개인정보보호 문제 : 이은우 정보인권연구소 이사│변호사
• 환경 문제 : 맹지연 환경운동연합 국장
• 경제민주화 문제 : 김성진 변호사│참여연대 집행위원장

○ 문의 : 참여연대 경제금융센터 (02-723-5052), 사회복지위원회 (02-723-5056)

The Xe Pian-Xe Nam Noy dam project which takes the whole life of the people of Laos: For whom was the development designed?

 9th August 2018

The accident of the Xe Pian-Xe Nam Noy dam in Laos on the 23rd of last July has resulted in the death of 34 people and left approximately 100 people missing. 13,067 from 13 towns have been affected by the accident and amongst them, 7,095 from 6 towns which were directly damaged and hit. Considering the fact that the flooded water from the dam has reached the Cambodian border, the total damages have exceeded the level of expectation.

This should not be treated as a simple accident. The benefit from the development was exploited by the big enterprises and the government, and the locals who have less power suffered from the consequences of the risks. A whopping 90 percentage of the electricity produced from the dam was supposed to export to Thailand and never meant to be consumed in Laos. From the beginning of this project, it has never been for the sake of the people of Laos. Claiming to serve a role as ‘the battery of Asia’ by carrying out excessive numbers of hydropower dam projects, the Laos government was going to enjoy the financial profit. Also, SK Engineering and Construction (SK E&C), the main constructor, and Korean Western Power KOWEPO), the operator for the next 27 years, were all along set to taste the sweetness from the development. The local residents in the dam-constructing sites were left with the painful bitterness from having the environment destroyed and being displaced from their ancestral homes. As it was not enough, they lost their beloved families, and their homes have been demolished. We cannot help but asking for whom this development was designed.

The Korean government also takes responsibility for this tragedy. The Xe Pian/Xe Nam Noy project was jointly promoted with the Korean government and enterprises. This was the first Public Private Partnership (PPP) sponsored by Economic Development Cooperation Fund (EDCF) from the Export-Import Bank of Korea as a Korea’s Official Development Assistance (ODA). The Ministry of Strategy and Finance of Korea extensively advertised this project as a new model of financial conglomerates combining ‘an aid’ and ‘an exportation’. ODA is constructed with the tax raised by the citizens for the purpose of ending poverty in developing countries and implementing humanitarianism around the globe. However the project in Laos, instead, took thousands of people’s homes causing hundreds of cases of missing people and over tens of people’s death.

Therefore we demand the Korean government and enterprises who are responsible for the Xe Pian-Xe Nam Noy dam accident follow below.

First, the Korean government must perform the truth-finding mission of the Xe Pian-Xe Nam Noy hydropower dam with sincere responsibility. It was announced that the Laos government will organize the Investigation Committee of the Accident in order to look into the cause of the accident thoroughly, and will ask for the cooperation of the Korean government and the Thai government in the process. SK Engineering and Construction (SK E&C) claims that the cause of the accident is the overflow of the subsidiary dams due to heavy rainfall whereas Korea Western Power (KOWEPO) accounts for the collapse of the subsidiaries, which shows the reasons why an accurate investigation regarding the cause of the accident is utterly necessary. In addition, the process of location-selecting, planning, and building and the evaluation of its environmental and social effects should be examined so that possible wrongful aspects in those stages can be fully revealed. In order to extend the outcomes of the truth-finding investigation from a simple revelation of the cause to the stage where the rehabilitation and the prevention of additional damages or the re-occurrence are promised, the participation of the representatives of the affected towns, local NGOs and the international civil organizations, including Korea’s, must be guaranteed along with the transparency over the whole investigation process.

Second, the Korean government and SK E&C should provide long-term plans for the rehabilitation and reconstruction of the areas that were damaged. Because of the accident, the citizens of Laos have lost a great deal including not only their families but also their homes and means of living. This cannot be resolved by emergency relief. The long-term plans for the rehabilitation and reconstruction of the affected areas must be guaranteed and implemented by both the Korean government and SK E&C.

Third, the Korean government should study the limitations and problems of its activation policies regarding the PPP (Public Private Partnership) and establish its countermeasures. There have been numerous worries regarding the act of the companies who focus on profits without complying with social responsibilities and corporate ethics. This could hurt the purpose of development cooperation projects, which is to solve poverty and to contribute to the development in partner countries, by damaging the environment and the residents’ right to exist. Nevertheless, the Korean government has not prepared a code of conduct or a system for companies to follow when they participate in these development and cooperation projects. The accident is the very proof that the development cooperation projects, which seek only profits without considering the demands and needs of the community, could actually endanger many people's rights to survive and to live. Such a disaster would not have occurred if the voice of the local residents were heard when they expressed their concerns since the beginning of the project. This tremendous disaster should arouse the Korean government to review its policy of activating public-private cooperation projects.

Fourth, the Korean government should fully mandate the implementation of Safeguard, the primary system for preventing environmental, social and human-rights damages of large development projects and for protecting the rights of local residents. According to the EDCF Safeguard, it is stated that Safeguard is useful but not compulsory. If Safeguard is not mandatory, it is only nominal. Even if the responsibility for implementation is placed on the partner countries, the accountability cannot be fulfilled unless the Korean government manages and supervises the implementation process. A complete investigation should apply to the projects that have already started in order to ensure that they comply with Safeguard. Furthermore, it should be determined whether the Korean Safeguard operated at the field so that they do not adversely affect human rights and the environment. Possible improvements should be also considered. The Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) expressed its concerns in 2017 regarding not considering or demanding human rights related matters when Korea`s public financial institutions provided financial aid. The Korean government should introduce a Human Rights Impact Assessment according to this recommendation, which is to take further steps from the environmental and social impact assessments. In addition, relevant information such as project feasibility reports and environmental and social impact assessment reports should be transparently made public. 

That is the minimum responsibility to ensure that such tragic accidents do not happen again.

We will actively cooperate with the people of Laos and local organizations and urge a thorough truth-finding investigation into the cause of the accident. We will also continue our activities to improve legal and institutional mechanisms in the development and cooperation sector for sustainable development of the partner countries.

The Coordinated Response Team of the Korean Civil Societies for the Xe Pian-Xe Nam Noy Dam Collapse

Energy & Climate Policy Institute / Korean Federation for Environmental Movement/ KTNC Watch / PEACE MOMO / People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy / PIDA / Truth Foundation

* [Joint Statement] See/Download

* Korean Version >> Click