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Urgent Appeal for immediate action
Czytelnik CIA, Wto, 2009-01-27 11:46 EnglishStop forced evictions and further death in South Korea
In South Korea, 5 people died while protesting against an imminent forced eviction
1. Summary of the Incidence
At 6 a.m. on 20th January, people who were asking for solutions to avoid
eviction in February in Youngsan-Gu, Seoul lost their lives as a
consequence of violent oppression from the police. A 1500 strong police
force was dispatched to disperse about 50 protesters. The police actions
taken toward these protesters were similar to those taken in times war.
Less than a day after those facing eviction started protesting and
without further conversations or an effort to discuss the issues, the
government dispatched a special police force and staged an anti-terror
operation. After the police entered the building where the protesters
were, a fire broke out and the circumstances became dangerous. However,
without taking any safety measures, the police proceeded with the
operation which resulted in the death of 5 protesters and 1 police officer.
Dispatching a special police force for an anti-terror operation in less
than 24 hours is a rare case even in South Korea. Since the
Conservatives took power however, the police have often cracked down on
protesters in a violent way. This incidence also happened under this
context.
A place to pray for the dead was set up at the spot of the incident.
Despite of it being the Korean New Year holiday, visits from people
continue. A fact finding committee composed of civilian organizations is
carrying out investigations whilst the government is trying to close the
case as soon as possible.
2. Background and Characteristics
It is well known that there are many problems coupled to rapid
re-development projects in South Korea. Existing solutions (such as
compensations, providing temporary place to stay etc) are neither
realistic nor properly implemented. It is especially worrisome that
forced eviction, which is prohibited under international human rights
law, is being pursued under the auspices of the government.
South Korea, who is a signatory to the International Covenant on
Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, was requested twice by the
Committee on the Economic, Social and Cultural Rights to provide
protection to victims of forced evictions. However, as shown in this
case, the South Korea government violated its obligation to respect the
right to an adequate housing and to not being forcibly evicted. It also
violated its obligation to protect the safety and the life of victims of
forced evictions.
For over a year, lodgers in the re-development project area demanded the
Yongsan-Gu Office for appropriate protection. The Yongsan-Gu Office
provided no opportunity for talk or negotiation. Local lodgers went to
the Youngsan-Gu Office to file an appeal but got rejected. During this
appeal process, private security officers hired by the construction
company threatened the lodgers and sexually harassed them. However, the
police did not take any action against the private security officer's
practices. Despite the fact that eviction in the cold season requires
the taking of special measures prior to the eviction, the Youngsan-Gu
Office approved the construction company's request to initiate the
re-development from February. Lodgers faced with forced eviction entered
the empty building to stage protests against this process and lost their
life due to violent police operation.
Lodgers living in re-development areas are excluded from both the
process and results of re-development projects as they do not own a
property in the area. Re-development to improve the housing condition
causes inequality in housing as many lodgers have to move into a place
worse than their previous housing. A serous problem is that in the
previously re-developed area, only 10~15 % of local residents will get
to stay in that same area.
Lodgers suffer a serious violation of their housing rights during the
re-development process. The aim of re-development projects should be in
improvement of housing conditions and relieving poverty for the people
living there. The government is obliged to provide necessary information
and guarantee participation for people living there regardless of their
ownership of the housing. However, these demands are ignored by the
government and the construction companies who get benefits from the
re-development in South Korea.
On the other hand, the investigation carried out at the government level
is criticized for being biased. The police carried out autopsies of the
bodies of the victims without the consent of their families. The police
report on the incident was revealed to be false in light of a variety of
evidence reported by the major media. The police attitude, which is
neither democratic nor transparent, creates deeper mistrust. A fair and
impartial system for the investigation is urgently required. Rather than
trying to close the case as soon as possible, an effort to prevent this
kind of tragedy from happening again and a guarantee of democratic
participation are required.
3. Demands
․ Guarantee participation of civil organizations in the investigation
process to secure a fair and thorough investigation.
․ Punish those responsible for the incidence.
․ Review current re-development projects which do not guarantee the
right to housing of the lodgers.
․ Guarantee the right to housing as a human right.
4. Action for everyone
We would like to show international support at the second pan-national
memorial for the dead. Please email us your supporting messages and let
us know whether you would sign our statement by noon of the 30th
January. Please also send us a copy of your complaints for those
responsible. Sending complaints for those responsible continues until
mid February.
Email to Sarangbang Group for Human Rights : humanrights@sarangbang.or.kr
1) Send us your supporting messages.
2) Please sign the statement below.
We urge the South Korean government to protect victims of forced
evictions and to carry out a thorough investigation and punish the
responsible for the deaths that occurred during the police action in
Youngsan-Gu, Seoul 20th January 2009
We pray for the repose of the deceased who protested to secure the right
to housing. With sorrow and anger about the deaths, we send our warmest
regards to the family. We feel devastated with the reality that a demand
for a living with dignity turned into a death and send our support to
the family and people in South Korea who resist against the government.
We pay attention to the fact that this incidence was rooted in the
problems of the re-development process in South Korea and resulted from
a unilateral over-use of public power. We regret that the South Korean
government has attacked its citizens who protested against forced
eviction and tried to protect their right to housing. Dispatching a
special police force is an act of labeling its citizens as a terrorist
group, which is contrary to the state's obligation to respect and
protect the rights of its citizens. The government further damaged its
fairness and trust by trying to close the case as soon as possible and
in carrying out autopsies of the bodies without consent of the family's
concerned. We urge the South Korean government to apologize to the
families concerned and come up with measures to prevent a similar case
happening again in future. We demand the acceptance of responsibility
for this incident from Seokgi Kim, the head of the Seoul Police, Sehoon
Won, the minister of the Ministry of Public Administration and Security,
Jangkyu Park, the head of the Yongsan-Gu Office, Dongsan Baek, the head
of Yongsan Police
We confirm that the aim of re-development projects should lie on
improving the right to housing. We are concerned that the re-development
process in South Korea has become a means to earn more money for certain
groups, such as construction companies, rather than follow an approach
based on international human rights law. Under the international human
rights perspective, forced evictions are a clear violation of human
rights. Despite the fact that the South Korean government should, as a
signatory to the ICESCR, take steps to prevent forced evictions, the
government itself used police force against citizens who tried to
realize their right to housing, resulting in the death of five citizens
and one police officer. According to human rights organizations in South
Korea, for over a year demands by lodgers in the re-development project
area for appropriate protection, talks and negotiations were rejected by
the Yongsan-Gu Office. They had asked several times to make plans for
re-settlement but received no answers back. Out of desperation prior to
the forced eviction, these people staged protests that cost them their
lives. We urge the South Korean government to review any re-development
projects that do not provide protection to the lodgers and that do not
guarantee the participation of citizens.
Sending our support and expressing our solidarity to those in South
Korea demanding a thorough investigation and punishment of the
responsible, we urge the following:
★ Guarantee participation of civil organizations in the investigation
process to secure a fair and through investigation.
★ Punish those responsible for the incidence.
★ Review current re-development projects which do not guarantee the
right to housing of the lodgers.
★ Recognize housing as a human right and guarantee this right to housing.
3) Please, send any protesting messages to the following addresses:
Myung-bak Lee, the president of South Korea
http://www.bluehouse.go.kr/kr/index.php
1 Sejongno Jonno gu
Seoul Korea(110-820)
Tel +822-730-5800
Fax: +822-770-4943/+822-770-2440
Sehoon Won, the minister of the Ministry of Public Administration and
Security
Tel +822-2100-3000
Fax: +822-2100-4001
Seokgi Kim, the head of the Seoul Police
Tel +822-720-3993
Fax: +822-754-7000
Sehoon Oh, the Mayor of Seoul (Metropolis)
Tel: +822-731-6060
Fax +822-737-8688
Jangkyu Park, the head of the Yongsan-Gu Office
Tel: +822-710-3333
Fax +822-718-0333
