The 'Past Affairs Act' Abandoned by 'Politics'... "Do You Know How We Lived?"

Choi Seung-woo, a victim of the Brothers Home, is protesting on the canopy at the entrance of the National Assembly Members' Office Building on the 6th, demanding the passage of the Past Affairs Act amendment related to the Brothers Home case./Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Cheol-eung] "I want to ask if you know how we lived."

These were the words of Kwak Jeong-rye, Vice Chairwoman of the Women’s Committee of the Korean War Bereaved Families Association, who appeared before the National Assembly’s Public Administration and Security Committee (PAS) Subcommittee on Bill Review at the end of May last year.

It was a heartfelt outcry squeezed out in a scene where the amendment to the Act on the Investigation of Past Incidents for Truth and Reconciliation (Past Incident Act) was blocked by political strife. Although the 20th National Assembly was nearing its end, the Past Incident Act remained in jeopardy without being passed. Choi Seung-woo, a victim of the Brothers Home, began a high-altitude protest at the entrance of the National Assembly Members’ Office Building on the 5th, demanding the passage of the amendment.

The Past Incident Act was enacted in 2005, and the Past Incident Investigation Committee was active, but it ended in 2010, leaving many unfinished tasks. There are still grievances accumulated, such as the Brothers Home case, which caused over 500 victims, and the civilian massacres during the Korean War. The amendment is the foundational law to resolve these issues. Although it passed the PAS Committee last year amid the absence of the Liberty Korea Party, the predecessor of the United Future Party, it stalled as the Legislation and Judiciary Committee pointed out procedural problems.

Vice Chairwoman Kwak introduced herself at the subcommittee, saying, "I am a person who saw my father get shot on July 25, 1950, in Haenam-eup." She added, "I was in the second grade of elementary school when I saw and heard the time when 40 people were shot. I do not know what crime my father committed to be killed."

"All four members of my family died, and my older sister was suddenly sent off to marry at just 19 years old, so I became a beggar with my two younger siblings. People who haven’t experienced this wouldn’t understand."

"I endured this grinding my teeth, looking up at the sky, resenting the country. But now, hearing about the law, back then there was no law when they killed my father. Please answer once why they killed my father."

At the time, Liberty Korea Party lawmakers stated that "the bill cannot be processed as the National Assembly has not been normalized due to the fast-track political situation." Vice Chairwoman Kwak also said, "I don’t understand why innocent people were shot dead, and every day inside this National Assembly, all I hear is talk about law, law."

On the 6th, the Democratic Party of Korea, the Minsheng Party, the Justice Party, and organizations related to past incidents held a joint press conference at the National Assembly, urging, "The United Future Party should actively participate in bipartisan agreement for the passage of the Past Incident Act."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.