Gwangju City to Accept Applications for Past History Truth Verification Starting from the 10th

Reception Desks Operated at City Hall and 5 District Offices Until December 2022

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Seon-gang] Gwangju Metropolitan City announced on the 8th that, in cooperation with the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, it will accept applications for truth verification regarding cases requiring clarification from the 10th until December 9, 2022.

This reception, conducted in accordance with the 'Amendment to the Basic Act on Past Affairs Settlement for Truth and Reconciliation' effective from the 10th, aims to investigate human rights violations caused by anti-Japanese independence movements, anti-democratic and anti-human rights acts, and to reveal distorted or concealed truths, thereby contributing to national unity toward the future through reconciliation with the past.

The scope of application includes ▲ anti-Japanese independence movements conducted during or immediately before the Japanese colonial period ▲ overseas compatriot history defending and expanding the sovereignty of the Republic of Korea from the Japanese colonial period until the enforcement of this law ▲ illegal mass civilian deaths, injuries, and disappearances around the Korean War period from August 15, 1945 ▲ deaths, injuries, disappearances, and other serious human rights violations and suspected fabrication cases caused by illegal or grossly unjust exercise of public authority from August 15, 1945, until the authoritarian rule period, including acts destroying the constitutional order ▲ terrorism, human rights violations, violence, massacres, and suspicious deaths by forces denying the legitimacy of the Republic of Korea or hostile to it from August 15, 1945, until the authoritarian rule period.

Eligibility to apply includes ▲ victims, survivors, or their bereaved families ▲ persons related by kinship to victims, survivors, or their bereaved families ▲ persons who experienced or witnessed the truth verification cases ▲ persons who directly heard from those who experienced or witnessed the truth verification cases.

Gwangju City operates six reception centers in total, including City Hall and five district offices.

To apply, applicants must fill out the truth verification application form and submit it by visiting a reception center or by mail. The application form can be obtained at the reception centers or downloaded from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission website and the city’s website under notices and announcements, which will be available starting on the 10th.

For more details, search for truth verification on the city’s website under notices and announcements or contact the city’s Democracy and Human Rights Division by phone for guidance.

Kim Yong-man, head of the city’s Democracy and Human Rights Division, said, “With the amendment of the ‘Basic Act on Past Affairs Settlement for Truth and Reconciliation,’ the path to truth verification has opened for cases such as the Brothers Home incident and mass civilian sacrifice incidents around the Korean War, which had been at a standstill since the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s investigation period ended in 2010.” He added, “We hope this will be an opportunity to resolve the deep pain of victims and their families.”

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