Call for Rapid Disclosure of Draft Comprehensive Report Following Disposal of Incomplete and Distorted Investigation Reports
The 5·18 Special Committee of the Gwangju Metropolitan Council (Chairperson Jeong Da-eun) strongly condemned the irresponsible attitude of the 5·18 Truth Investigation Committee.
On the 29th, the 5·18 Special Committee, together with the Gwangju branch of the Minbyun (Korean Bar Association), issued a statement saying, “Individual investigation reports that distort facts, such as ‘military and police victims’ and ‘armory attacks,’ must be corrected immediately. Reports that are insufficient, such as those on ‘shooting orders’ and ‘secret burials,’ should be revised and supplemented to the fullest extent possible, and if not feasible, the individual reports themselves should be rejected and discarded.”
They continued, “The ‘testimony data collection’ of the martial law troops, which unilaterally rationalizes the perpetrators’ claims and can be used as grounds for distortion, must not be disclosed,” and emphasized, “The draft of the comprehensive report should be promptly released so that distortions in the individual reports can be corrected in the ‘comprehensive report,’ and opinions from external experts should be gathered.”
They also pointed out, “Various problems have been found, including denial of judicial rulings, clear errors and distortions in descriptions, contradictions or inconsistencies among individual reports, and typographical errors that undermine the credibility of the documents,” and stated, “The investigation result reports are unreliable ‘insufficient and distorted reports.’”
Regarding the investigation method of the Truth Investigation Committee, they criticized, “Over the past four years, investigations of individuals and literature were conducted haphazardly without planning or design, and distorted evidence was indiscriminately collected,” adding, “They even failed to properly utilize the powers granted by the 5·18 Truth Investigation Special Act, such as public hearings, inquiries, and special prosecutors, thereby forfeiting opportunities to collect key evidence.”
They further added, “By the end of last December, when their activities were nearing completion, they hastily approved investigation tasks all at once as if catching up on overdue work, rushing the full committee’s resolution,” and said, “They neglected their duty to correct the various issues pointed out today in advance.”
Meanwhile, the 5·18 Truth Investigation Committee, launched in December 2019 under the Special Act for the Truth Investigation of the May 18 Democratic Movement, officially ended its investigation activities on December 26, 2023, and has been sequentially releasing individual reports since February 29. The comprehensive report is scheduled to be completed and submitted to the President and the National Assembly by June 26.
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