Text Fwd: Report on the Process of the Illegal Confiscation and Forceful Arrest of the Members of the South Korean branch, PKAR

* Image source: PKAR
The top small letters say "Defend Democracy, Smash the National Security Oppression!"
The big letters say 'Ask NOTHING, Discuss NOTHING, That is the NATIONAL SECURITY OPPRESSION_WHO IS THE NEXT?'

* The document below: Translation from the PKAR site(May 7 to May 8, 2009)


-Report on the Process of the Illegal Confiscation and Forceful Arrest of the Members of the South Korean branch, Pan-Korean Alliance for Reunification (PKAR)-


1. Summary

_ The NIS and police security inspection team did the simultaneous and nation-wide (24 places) confiscation against the South Korean branch, Pan-Korean Alliance for Reunification (PKAR) at 6:30am, May 7, 2009 and arrested the 6 people including the chairman, Lee, Kyu-Jae.

_ Lead by the NIS who unusually composed the Joint Inspection headquarter with the Security Inspection Team, the confiscation and forceful arrest was operated with the total force. It seems the preparation and coordination was done more than a year before.

_ The NIS would very likely to restrain and indict the arrested for the participation in the enemy-benefiting organization; meeting and communication with the enemy; encouragement and admiration of enemy; possession, publication, production & distribution of enemy-benefiting within the premise of the Supreme Court’s judicial precedent that the PKAR was the enemy-benefiting organization.


2. Event Background

_ Part of the Lee Myung Bak’s policies of anti-NK confrontation and anti-unification moves which denies the 6.15 Joint Statement & 10.4 statement, conducts the NK-SK relationship to the collapse, blocking completely the NK-SK civilian exchange and co-operation; and prohibits the progressive civilian unification movements as illegal.

_ The oppression against the PKAR, a three party solidarity unification movement organization, after the manipulation case against the Practice Solidarity last year is shown as a sign of completely destroying the NK-SK relationship and retroacting it back to the cold war era in the past.

_ As shown in the oppression on May day, May 1 and the 1st candle light anniversary day, May 2, after the compensating re-election, April 29, it is a pre-stopping job intended to weaken the activities of the whole progressive groups struggling against the Lee Myung Bak regime and opposing the vicious MB laws in the temporary National Assembly meeting in June.

_ It is read the Lee Myung Bak regime intends to make a breakthrough in its current crisis which has happened due to its crushing democracy to death, its ruining people’s living, and its destroying of the NK-SK relationship, by cheating the eyes of people through the National Security oppression such as ‘coloring’ and ‘manipulating events’


3. The Confiscation & Search Situation (total 24 places)

_ House Confiscation and Search (16 places) –Lee, Kyu-Jae(Chairman); Lee, Kyeong-Won(Secretary); Kim, Se-Chang( Organizing Committee Director; Choi, Dong-Jin(Editor); Oh, Mina (former Editor); Lee, Tae-Hyung(former Executive Committee Director); Hong, Anna(former Secretary of the Kyeongin Association; Lee, Hyun-Joo(former Secretary); Park, Yong-Sik ( Secretary of the Kwangju Jeonam Association); Na, Chul-Sung( Policy Director of the Democratic Labor party, Kangwon-do); Kim. Chang-Hwan (former president of the Wonju Youth meeting); Chang, Seung-Wan( Wonju Youth meeting); Yoon, Joo-Hyung( Organizing Director of the Choongcheongbuk-do, Korean Peasants’ League); Jang, Min-Kyeong( Executive Director of 6.15 Choongcheongbuk-do headquarter); Oh, Soon-Wan( Secretary of 6.15 Choongcheongbuk-do), Choi, Eun-A.

_ Confiscation of offices (eight)- South Korean headquarter, Pan-Korean Alliance for Reunification (PKAR); Seoul branch, PKAR; Kyeongin Association, PKAR; Kwangju- Jeonnam Association branch, PKAR; Chuncheon Youth Meeting; Wonju Youth meeting; Cheongju Unification Youth Meeting; Ansan Unification Plaza


4. Arrested-total 6

- South Korean Headquarter, Pan-Korean Alliance for Reunification (PKAR) –total 3

Lee, Kyu-Jae (chairperson), Lee, Kyeong-Won (Secretary), Choi, Eun-A

- Chungjoo – total 3

Yoon, Joo-hyung (Organizing Director, Choongcheongbuk-do League, Korean Peasants’ League); Jang, Min-Kyeong (Executive Director of 6. 15 Choongcheongbuk-do headquarter); Oh, Soon-Wan (Secretary of 6.15 Choongcheongbuk-do)

- Taking site

- National Intelligence Service (Naegok-dong, Seoul) : Lee, Kyu-Jae; Lee, Kyung-Won; Choi, Eun-A
- Choongcheongbuk-do branch, NIS (Sungwha-dong, Chungjoo) : Yoon, Joo-hyung , Jang, Min-Kyeong, Oh, Soon-Wan


5. Issue of the Presence Demand - Currently total 5

- Hong, Anna (May 8), Oh, Mina(May 9), Park, Yong-Sik (May 11), Kim Chang-Whan & Chang Seung-Hwan (May 13)


6. Struggle Situation

- Headquarter

- The nation-wide confiscation and search including the South Korean headquarter started at 24 places from 6:30 am. The South Korean headquarter was deployed by 40 NIS workers, proceeded for near 6 hours by 12:30pm.

- The front of the South Korean headquarter office was illegally blockaded by 200 policemen. PKAR Senior Advisor, PKAR staffs, mothers of the Democracy Family Association, seniors of the Tongil Plaza tried to enter into the office many times.

- The denunciation rally was held among the reporters and citizens in the vicinity in the site (distribution of the 1st press release)

- Right after the confiscation and search, emergency attorney group was composed thru the Democratic Lawyers (Attorney, Cho, Young-Sun and two other people). After arrested being taken, the attorney interview with the 6 arrested were proceeded in the two places of Seoul and Chungjoo

- At 2pm, in front door of the NIS (Naegok-dong, Seoul), ‘Emergent press interview against the confiscation and forceful taking against the members of the PKAR’ was proceed while 50 people from the units participated (Distribution of 2nd Press release and Press interview )

- It was principally agreed to compose a committee against the crackdown of the PKAR (May 8, 4pm, Korean Confederation of Trade Unions). It was decided to discuss at the executive meeting of the pan-Korean committee for the Abolition of the National Security Law.

- The 3 spokesperson statement by each of the Democratic Party, Democratic Labor Party, New Progressive party and statements by various levels and organizations.

- Moving to the PKAR, discussion meeting by Lee-Jong Lin, Honorary Chairman; Kim, Kyu-Chul, Honorary Chairman of the Seoul branch of the PKAR; Noh, Soo-Hee, Chairman of the Seoul branch and the PKAR senior advisors (11am, May 8, 2009). Decides to hold an emergent meeting by the temporary chairs, Seoul branch, PKAR. Decides to defend the PKAR to the last ditch and strongly fight against the security oppression

- The whole meeting by the South Korean headquarter members, PKAR was proceeded. It was decided to transform the organization to the ‘Emergency PKAR committee for the Defense of 6.15 to the last ditch’

_ Report on the process of the illegal confiscation, arrest-taking and the announcement on struggle situation

- Local

- Kangwon-do: emergency press interview in front of the Kangwon-do branch, NIS, at 2pm, (Shindong-myeon, Choonchun City)

May 8, at 11 am, Press Interview planned at Wonju

- Chungjoo: Emergency Press Interview, at 1 pm, Choongbuk branch, NIS
(Sungwha-dong, Chungjoo)

- Attorney meeting with the 3 arrested, at 4pm

- Kyeongin: Committee meeting by the Gyeonggi branch, Korean Alliance for Progressive Movement, 3pm

May 8, at 11 am, Press Interview planned at Ansan, Kyeonggi-do

-Daeku: Planned suggestion of the meeting to the representative meeting, Daeku, Korean Alliance for Progressive Movement

Kwangju: Kwangjoojunnam Association, PKAR/ 6.15 Joint Committee, Kwangjoo, Jeonnam Headquarter/ Kwangjoo, Jeonnam, Korean Alliance for Progressive Movement/ Kwangjoo, Jeonnam, SPARK meeting, emergent press interview at the Kwangjoo branch, NIS, at 2pm


May 8, 9:30am, plan of the preparatory meeting for the Pan-Civil Society

- Busan : May 8 (Fr) morning Press interview(planned)

- Kyeongsangnam-do : May 8 (Fr) 11am., press interview by the 6.15 joint committee, Kyeongsangnam-do branch, province-hall.



7. Press Condition

Main Press headlines

Confiscation and Search of the PKAR, An Enemy- Benefiting Organization [Konas ]

PKAR, Simultaneously Confiscated and Searched in Various Places…"National Security Oppression " ..There Is Repulsion [SBS]

Government, Activates the ‘New Security Drive’’ - Confiscation and Search of the PKAR , Investigation of the ‘Agora’ member … Focused Investigation through On and Off Lines. [Segye Times]

NIS, Confiscation and Search of the PKAR …Arrest of the Chairman, Simultaneous Operation at the Headquarters and 19 Places… Taking Six People [Hankyoreh]

Kangwon-do Branch, Democratic Labor Party " We Denounce the Formation of the National Security Phase" [Newsis ]

Confiscation and Search of the PKAR, Nation-Wide [Kyeonghyang ]

Arrest of the PKAR Six Staffs, Including the Chairman … Police, NIS Confiscated and Searched of the Offices [Kukmin Ilbo, Kuki News]

" Oppression of the PKAR is The Sign of the Retroactive to the Cold War Era "

Taking the Six People Including the Chairman, Lee, Kyu-Jae, Confiscation and Search of the 30 Places ... Civil Organizations Repulse [Tongil News]

Democratic Party " Impossible to Oppress the Unification Movements with the Ghost of the Color Logic "
Minor parties “ No Difference from the Military Dictatorship “ [Voice of People]

Left Wing Powers, ‘In A Fit of Rage’ by the Investigation of the Enemy-Benefiting Organization, PKAR

Democratic Labor Party, New Progressive Party, Practice Solidarity etc., All Fiercely Denounce the MB Government [Freezone news]

Police, Confiscation and Search of the PKAR… Arrest of Chairman[Donga Ilbo]


8. Press Current

- Overall, it has been dealt with as the main article in the Society section in the mainstream media. Prompt reports of the process every hours. It is confirmed that the word, ‘PKAR’ was top 5th word in the search site of the Naver Potal.

- It is judged that the netizens are keeping the eyes on the news, connecting the serial situation related to the confiscation and search of the PKAR to the national security atmosphere of the Lee Myung Park administration

- Except for the several conservative right wing media, the overall media expresses indirectly about the retrogression of the Democracy, through the concerned’ mouth. It is roughly judged that there is the cognition in the media that the government drives by force for the formation of the national security state, connected with the May 1, 2 struggles, while the case of the PKAR is not unitarily reported.

- Chosun. Donga Ilbo [The most conservative] have never loaded any article on it while the Jongang-Ilbo[ one of the conservatives] only reported the facts

- In the ‘Agora’ discussion section, Daum, vicious attacks on PKAR have been loaded in similar contents and words. It is judged that there is a manipulation of the discussion such as by the conservative right wings. But there has not been any active discussion on it.


9. Future situation

- The joint operation between the NIS and the Security Inspection team has been un-precedent and it is expected that there would be the series of the additional measure and arrest & restraint.

_ It is highly probable that the national security oppression against the civilian unification movements and the entire progressive movements

_Considering that this is the coordinated and manipulated event, the Lee Myung Bak government would actively utilize the event so that they could reverse the political phase.


10. The Noticeable

_ It is un-precedent that the three arrested including Lee, Kyu-Jae, chairman have been detained in the Seoul Detention Center from the 1st to 3rd day when the restraint warrant was not issued yet.

- It is said that the interview with the arrested is possible three times a day in the police custody but the interview in the detention center is limited to once in a day and impossible after 6pm.

- Considering that the daily investigation is finished at average 5~6 pm, the detention of the arrested in the Seoul Detention Center is seen to block any interviews including the family’s. This is a clear violation of human rights.

- It is seen to fact-establish the restraint even before the issuing of the restraint warrant. It should be spoken out that it is above all, abuse of the state power above law that the NIS and Security Inspection team ignore the legal process of inspection for the realization of the restraint warrant .



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