Resumption of Truth and Reconciliation Commission Activities... Passage of the Past Affairs Settlement Act Amendment in the National Assembly

Preparing for Relaunch by Forming a Task Force for Historical Issues Resolution Planning

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] The path to uncovering the truth about the Brothers Home incident, the Seongam Academy incident, and the mass civilian casualties during and after the Korean War?cases that have long tormented victims and their families due to inadequate investigations in the past?has now been opened.

The Ministry of the Interior and Safety announced on the 20th that the National Assembly passed a partial amendment to the "Basic Act on the Resolution of Past Incidents for Truth and Reconciliation (hereinafter referred to as the Past Incident Resolution Act)," which includes the resumption of activities of the "Commission on Truth and Reconciliation for Past Incidents (Truth and Reconciliation Commission)" as a key provision.

Accordingly, a preparatory planning group for past incident resolution (tentative name) will be formed to prepare for the re-launch of the commission and undertake subsequent measures.

The amendment aims to reconstitute the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which was dissolved after its investigative activities from 2006 to 2010, to uncover the truth about human rights violations that occurred from the Japanese colonial period through the era of authoritarian rule.

First, the period for applying for truth verification is set at two years. Victims, survivors, and their families who wish to apply for truth verification to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission can do so within two years from the enforcement date of this partial amendment.

The commission’s investigation period is set at three years, with a possible one-year extension, allowing it to operate for up to four years.

The commission will be composed of nine members: one appointed by the President (including one full-time member) and eight elected by the National Assembly (including one full-time member each from the ruling party with four members and the opposition party with four members).

Additionally, closed hearings will be introduced to supplement the limitations of the commission’s investigative activities and enable more proactive truth-seeking efforts.

The amended Past Incident Resolution Act will take effect six months after its promulgation. The preparatory planning group will be responsible for tasks such as forming the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, establishing its secretariat, and revising subordinate laws and regulations, thereby laying the foundation for the commission’s future resumed activities.

Lee Jae-gwan, Director of Local Autonomy and Decentralization at the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, stated, "Through the upcoming investigative activities of the re-launched Truth and Reconciliation Commission, we will do our utmost as a nation to reveal the truth behind human rights violations such as the Brothers Home and Seongam Academy incidents, as well as the mass civilian casualties during and after the Korean War, to comfort and heal the pain of victims and their families."

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