Minimum 3-Month Extension Needed for Review of Extensive Report Materials
The 5·18 Special Committee of the Gwangju Metropolitan Council (Chairperson Jeong Da-eun) urged the immediate disclosure of the investigation activity report by the 5·18 Truth Investigation Committee (hereinafter ‘Jinjo-wi’) and the extension of the deadline for submitting recommendations.
On the 22nd, the 5·18 Special Committee stated in a press release, “If the ‘opinion collection process’ of Jinjo-wi is not merely for show, the investigation result reports for tasks whose revisions have already been completed should be disclosed immediately,” and added, “The deadline for submitting opinions should be sufficiently extended to guarantee time for reviewing materials and collecting opinions.”
They continued, “Jinjo-wi, which mobilized enormous budgets and organizations and directly engaged in investigations over the past four years, had to spend more than two months just revising the investigation result reports, which are physically voluminous materials,” and argued, “We cannot help but express anger at Jinjo-wi for granting only about one month for review and opinion collection to citizens encountering the report for the first time, as if bestowing some kind of favor.”
The issue arose when Jinjo-wi sent official letters on February 13 to six institutions including Gwangju Metropolitan City, Jeonnam Province, the councils of both cities and provinces, and each education office, notifying them to submit ‘proposals related to national recommendations’ by March 10, without disclosing the materials.
The Special Committee explained, “The 5·18 Special Committee of the Gwangju Metropolitan Council and Gwangju civil society have repeatedly urged Jinjo-wi’s plenary session to ‘promptly disclose investigation results by task,’ but Jinjo-wi has delayed the disclosure of investigation results,” and added, “Yesterday, through a press release, Jinjo-wi announced plans to disclose the investigation result report on February 29 and to extend the opinion collection period for recommendations until March 31.”
They pointed out, “In cases where revisions have already been completed, there is no justifiable reason not to disclose immediately, yet Jinjo-wi’s position to disclose 17 investigation result reports all at once at the end of February is difficult to accept.”
They also noted, “If the voluminous investigation result reports, which exceed thousands of pages, are disclosed at the end of this month, there will be only 20 working days until the March 31 deadline for submitting ‘national recommendation’ proposals,” and criticized, “The period for submitting recommendations is unreasonably short.”
Chairperson Jeong Da-eun emphasized, “Although Jinjo-wi decided to extend the deadline for collecting opinions on recommendations by 20 days, at least a three-month extension is necessary to review the materials.”
She added, “We earnestly request, with a humble attitude, the immediate disclosure of Jinjo-wi’s investigation results and a sufficient extension of the deadline for submitting recommendations.”
Meanwhile, the 5·18 Truth Investigation Committee, launched in December 2019 under the Special Act on the Truth Investigation of the May 18 Democratic Movement, officially ended its investigation activities on December 26 and plans to prepare a comprehensive report by June 26 to submit to the President and the National Assembly.
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