More Than Witnesses: How a Small Group of Missionaries Aided Korea's Democratic Revolution: Korean Democracy Foundation Newsletter chronicles the second "People's Revolutionary Party" incident in 1975

Never Forget

Tales of Tragedy, Courage and Triumph in the Face of Violent Government Repression. Clockwise, from left: Book cover with photos of anthology contributors, all foreign missionaries in South Korea who spoke out and took action on behalf of Korean democracy; the eight men wrongly accused at their show trial of treason by the military regime in April 1975, just hours before being hanged; family members in mourning following the injustice; coming full circle, former outlawed democracy movement leader Kim Dae Jung is elected president in 1997.

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Korean Democracy Foundation Newsletter chronicles the second "People's Revolutionary Party" incident in 1975

Eight South Korean men, accused of the capital crime of listening to a North Korean radio broadcast, await trial in April 1975.

Please follow the two links below for compelling accounts written in recent years in reaction to the vindication of the eight men falsely accused of treason in a 1975 show trial, an event central to the history described in the book "More Than Witnesses...."

Link One: The second People Revolutionary Party incident in 1975: A'judicial murder' committed in the dark age

Part One: The anatomy of a show trial, where words are distorted and due process is denied, followed by a speedy execution described

Part Two: A moving interview with the wife of one of the men wrongfully accused and executed
(after selecting the link above, please scroll to bottom of page)

"Who can fathom how we feel, hanging around in tears under a parasol in summer and going about in a muffler in winter?"

--Madame Lee Yeong-gyo, Ha Jae-wan's wife, discusses the toll on her children of being forced to live in shame, and what vindication means for her family two decades later.

Link Two: Reflections on the Court's Decision to Retry the Case

" I have not done anything but object to the Yushin establishment. Why should I die on a false charge?"

--Death row inmate Mr. Lee Su-Byeong, one of eight who had been sentenced to death on charges of "forming a People Revolutionary Party Reconstruction Commission" that allegedly represented a security threat to the South Korean government. The Yushin establishment was a series of draconian laws that severely curtailed civil liberties in the name of national security. His words were never recorded, in a trial where evidence was fabricated, and testimony rewritten for the official record. Two decades later, the Korean government finally admitted that no such organization had ever existed.

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Former South Korean President Kim Dae Jung on "More Than Witnesses"

"The stories told in 'More than Witnesses' reflect the sacrifices and dedication of a small group of missionaries who aided Korea's democratic revolution, helping the nation put behind the era of dictatorship. It also tells of the courage of the Korean people whose lives exemplified the love and teachings of God through their strong religious commitments....

"These foreigners with 'hearts of Koreans' helped lay a groundwork for freedom, peace and justice to come into full bloom like tenacious wild flowers...."

About the Presenter: the Rev. Gene Matthews

When most Americans consider the post-war politics of the Korean peninsula, they think of North Korea as an example of the worst form of tyranny, contrasted with the shining example of South Korean democracy. But it was not always so, as this landmark book "More Than Witnesses," chronicles in its anthologized tales of courage and integrity in the face of oppressive South Korean regimes who maintained power through violence, deception, and an egregious disregard for basic civil liberties.

Co-author Gene Matthews first arrived in South Korea in 1956 at the age of 23 as a three year short-term United Methodist missionary. Growing up in rural Iowa, he thought it likely that he would become a farmer, however he changed his plans when he felt a calling to missions work. He returned to Korea in 1960, where he and his Korean-born wife Insook worked and raised their family until their retirement to Iowa City in 1997, where they live today.

Gene Matthews' many contributions while in Korea included his support of the labor organizing efforts of the Urban Industrial Movement, and his membership in the Monday Night Group, a weekly gathering of missionaries that sought to illuminate for the world the challenges facing the Korean democracy movement in the 1970s and '80s. Matthews and a small, but committed, group of missionary colleagues refused to be intimidated by the threats of successive despotic military governments as carried out by the Korean CIA. These included threats of death, repeated interrogations, and threats of deportation (which were actually carried out against missionaries in two notable cases described in the book, and elsewhere on this site).

The courage of this handful of missionaries was put to the ultimate test when eight Korean democracy activists were railroaded into a show trial, and summarily executed, in April of 1975.

Courageously standing steadfast in support of the Korean friends in the democracy movement, they became allies of Korean democracy movement leader Kim Dae Jung. That movement grew rapidly, and two decades later, Gene Matthews would witness the inauguration of Kim as president of the Republic of South Korea. Like Kim (honored with the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to end decades of hostility with the North), Gene and his colleagues would be honored by their adopted home of Korea with awards recognizing their contributions on behalf of democracy and peace.

More recently, the Korean government finally acknowledged its wrongdoing in the 1975 trial and execution of the eight wrongfully accused men, helping to restore honor to their families, and eventually bestowing upon them a large financial settlement. In many ways, the events of those darker days have finally come full circle.

However, another recent change in government has turned back the clock on many of Kim Dae Jung's reforms, and conflict with the North is at a new high. No one can tell what lies ahead, but one thing is certain: this book chronicles the kind of courage and perseverance in the face of oppression by both Koreans and their missionary allies that will long stand as an inspiration to a younger generation as it seeks to remain vigilant in securing peace and retaining democratic freedoms.

As President Kim Dae Jung noted, in his endorsement of this book, "The efforts and devotion of the missionary community provided democratic activists, including me, a ray of light and a source of hope and courage. The inspiring achievements of these 'Foreigners with Hearts of Koreans' have helped lay a groundwork in Korea for freedom, and justice to come into full bloom like pretty, tenacious wild flowers."

More Than Witnesses (published by the Wisconsin-based Nightengale Press) is edited by Jim Stenzel, with contributions by more than a dozen missionaries of all faiths who share their inspiring stories in the first person.

Gene Matthews writes, in a postscript to his chapter, Things They Never Taught Us Down on the Farm: "These experiences have shaped my life. When I retired from missionary service in 1997, I had been related to Korea's challenges, struggles, and trials for forty-one years. During the same time, I had laughed joyfully because my Korean friends found unflagging humor even in dark times. And I had wept bitter tears because the Koreans had also shared with me their deepest sorrows. I still cry at times when sudden memories of their courage and sacrifice overcome me. Praise be to God."

For more information, please email QuinlanJohnL@aol.com or call 608-213-8409.

Never Forget

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Korean Democracy Foundation Newsletter chronicles the second "People's Revolutionary Party" incident in 1975

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