In South Korea it can be dangerous to talk about peace. People who do may be labeled jongbuk (North Korean sympathizers) by the present government and incriminated under Article 7 of the Korean National Security Law.
Earlier in 2014 Representative Lee Seok-ki, a member of the National Assembly, was arrested on charges of violation of this law, and then, unbelievably, the government dissolved the United Progressive Party, the political party of which he was a member - leaving disenfranchised all those Koreans who had voted for the 5 sitting members of the UPP in the present Assembly
In another action, just days before Christmas, Dec 22, 2014, police invaded the Mintongsun Peace Church and spent 10 hours ransacking church and adjoining day care centre looking for evidence that pastor Lee Jeok is acting against national security. In the process they took apart the sanctuary’s altar and cross.
Many Korean Christians are enraged by this action. Nothing like this had ever happened even during the most oppressive days of dictatorship.
NCCK issued a statement calling for an apology from the police and assurances such an action would not happen again, and churches not affiliated with NCCK also spoke out.
On Jan 30 there was a response from the police ~ the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency Commissioner Gu Eun-su came to the NCCK office where he officially made an apology to NCCK President Hwang Yang-dae and General Secretary Kim Young-ju on behalf of his department for this unacceptable behavior. The Commissioner also promised that a new protocol would be developed for more respectful search and seizure actions in the future.
In another response, the civil group Corean Alliance for Independent Reunification and Democracy is holding an indefinite sit-in in the Christian building to call ongoing attention to the dangers and excesses of the present government in its enforcement of the National Security Law. They are collecting signatures calling on President Park to stop suppression of human rights in Korea.
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