Truth and Reconciliation Commission Receives 1,347 Requests for Past Incident Investigations in First 48 Days Since Inception

Jung Geun-sik, Chairman of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, is speaking at a press conference held on the morning of the 27th at the Truth and Reconciliation Commission office in Jung-gu, Seoul.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Dong-hoon] Jeong Geun-sik, chairman of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission for Past Affairs (Truth and Reconciliation Commission), announced that since the launch of the 2nd commission, they have received 1,347 requests for investigation into past incidents. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission plans to complete its formation by February and to carry out its duties normally around late March to early April.

At a press conference held at the Truth and Reconciliation Commission office in Namsan Square Building, Jung-gu, Seoul, on the morning of the same day, Chairman Jeong said, "Receiving 1,347 cases within 48 days of the commission's launch shows the high expectations of the public," and added, "It seems that the public's sensitivity to human rights has increased during the 10-year gap between the 1st and 2nd commissions."

He stated, "While the 1st commission mainly dealt with damages caused by public authority based on political ideology, the 2nd commission seems to be addressing more social human rights issues," and evaluated, "In addition to traditional political human rights and freedoms, the public has raised questions about whether social human rights issues can be established in our society through past history."

The 2nd Truth and Reconciliation Commission is the successor to the 1st commission, which conducted investigations from 2006 to 2010 before being dissolved. The role of the 2nd commission is to uncover the truth about incidents not resolved in the 1st term and newly revealed human rights violations. According to the application status tallied until the day before, 2,178 people requested investigations into 1,347 past incidents. Compared to the same period during the launch of the 1st commission, the number of applications increased by about 1.3 times. By type of incident, civilian mass casualty incidents (1,030 cases) were the most numerous, followed by human rights violations and suspicion of fabrication cases (125 cases), and incidents related to hostile forces (111 cases). There were also cases related to the anti-Japanese independence movement (7 cases), overseas compatriot affairs (11 cases), and confirmed judgment cases (9 cases).

The 2nd Truth and Reconciliation Commission officially launched on December 10 last year by accepting the Brothers Home for the Mentally Disabled case as the "No. 1 case." The National Assembly held a plenary session on the 8th of this month and elected lawyer Jeong as a Truth and Reconciliation Commissioner recommended by the People Power Party, but he immediately resigned amid sexual harassment controversies.

Chairman Jeong said, "Although it has been nearly 50 days since the launch, the commission has not been formed, causing disruptions in work," and added, "There is a difficult situation where promises made to the public may not be kept, and I am contemplating what to do." He continued, "It is the duty of state institutions to respond quickly when citizens make demands, but we are in a dilemma," and frankly confessed, "As chairman, I am under a lot of pressure."

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