'1.26 Million' Non-Public Records Including Demolition of Joseon Government-General Building Released

Reviewed 510,000 Cases and Released 1.26 Million... Transition to Public Disclosure of Disability Welfare Support Measures Since 1991

Records related to the demolition of the Joseon Government-General Building (DA1617301, DA1617308)

Records related to the demolition of the Joseon Government-General Building (DA1617301, DA1617308)

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The National Archives of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety announced on the 23rd that it has converted 1.26 million government records, which were previously managed as non-disclosable due to data sensitivity at the time of production, into publicly accessible records.

The National Archives' Records Disclosure Review Committee reviewed 2.51 million non-disclosable records in 2020, converting 1.26 million of them to public status and posting the list on the National Archives website.

The records converted to public status this time include documents produced by 53 government agencies such as the former Police Agency, Ministry of Employment and Labor, and Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, containing contents like the "Demolition of the Joseon Governor-General's Building in 1995" and "Support Measures for Welfare of Persons with Disabilities."

The records related to the demolition of the Joseon Governor-General's Building include consultations for the demolition (1995?1997), the demolition process, and preservation treatment of murals in the old central hall of the Joseon Governor-General's Building. They also confirm the relocation of the building's spire to the Independence Hall, the evaluation of the murals' value, preservation treatment, and the process of preserving them at the National Museum of Korea.

In particular, the report on the underground pile treatment plan at the demolition site of the old Joseon Governor-General's Building confirms the decision not to remove the 9,388 wooden piles underground for ground stabilization. The records related to support measures for persons with disabilities contain reviews conducted before the implementation of the mandatory employment system for persons with disabilities in 1991 to promote more efficient welfare services for the disabled.

Through the newly disclosed materials, one can verify the comprehensive disability measures, status investigation data at the time, and various improvement plans for the disability support system. The "Mandatory Employment System for Persons with Disabilities," implemented in 1991, was established to accept persons with disabilities not merely as subjects of protection but as members of society, providing opportunities for independence, which brought significant changes to disability policy.

Choi Jae-hee, Director of the National Archives, stated, "Since 2007, the National Archives has reclassified about 86.07 million non-disclosable records and converted 57.11 million (66.4%) of them to public status," adding, "We will continue to actively promote disclosure focusing on records closely related to public life and of high public interest, striving to strengthen record services."

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