Stop suppressing the Unification Movement and Beomminryeon!

Ablolish the National Security Law!

Now in South Korea, The whirlwind of Police repression and destructing Democracy is blowing violently.

Whether it is a comment on government, an idea of improving inter-Korean relations, a suggestion for peace on Korean peninsula, without considering, South Korean Government is suppressing them brandishing the National Security Law.

In June, South Korean security agencies, National Intelligence Service(NIS; K-CIA) and police security organs, raided home and office of 9 members of the South Division of Beomminryeon, including Kim Ul-Su, Acting Chairman of Bumminryun, and Kim Sung-Il, Deputy Director and arrested 5 of them.

Including arrested members since 2009, shortly after the Lee Myung-Bak Government launched, 9 members of Beomminryeon are now in prison.

Beomminryeon, which formed in 1990, is a co-organization for unification movement consisted of North, South, and overseas Koreans, intended all Korean nation to do something for unification of Korea.

However, the South Korean courts and security agencies, prescribed the South Bum-min-ryun to ‘the group that benefits the enemy’, and makes it a rule to punish people who insisted on ‘peace treaty of Korean Peninsula’ and ‘withdrawal of US Forecs Korea’ for “sympathizing the North” based on National Security Law, which prescribe that North Korea is anti-state organization,

In the process of redemtion, regarding the claims such as “implemet the South-North joint declaration”, “conclude the peace treaty”, “dispose hostile attitude to the North”, “stop the joint millitary drill and police repression”, etc, the Prosecution applied them the suspicion of ‘sympathing and praising the North’.

These are political arguments that anyone can do, who live in a divided Korea and have reasonable criticism. but NIS, police, prosecution suppresses them by National Security Law. Clearly, these kind of oppression will not stop and be extended to other organizations and personnel who make similar claims.

National Security Law is internationally notorious evil law. The U.N Human Rights Council consistently counseled that it should be abolished or revised, and the problems are so widely known that its abolishion was discussed in Congress at the time of former Kim Dae-Jung and Rho Mu-Hyun Government.

Democracy cannot be realized if the freedom of conscience, speech, think is not guaranteed.

The irrational oppression that prescribes reasonable criticism and claims as “following the North”, or “benefitting the enemy” must be stopped. And the members of Beomminryeon and other prisoners of conscience should be released immediately. And the National Security Law, the source of destruction of Democracy, must be abolished.