We judged that there is no difference between the current 11th Hanchongnyon (Union of the General Students Associations of Korean universities) and the previous leaderships, the National Police Agency (NPA) said Tuesday in a press conference. Accordingly, we will summon 44 key Hanchongnyon officials including its chairman Jeong Jae-wook on charge of violating the National Security Law.
The NPA has been saying that they will issue a warrant for arrest only if the members violate the laws on punishment of violent acts and assembly and protest. We can`t start an investigation simply because somebody joined the organization.
However, as the NPA decided to summon 44 top officials of Hanchongnyon, whose specific charges are not confirmed, there is a growing controversy over its position towards the Federation of Korean University Student Councils.
We have selected the 44 officials based on the scope of their position and activities in the organization, said the police. If the students refuse to follow, they will be placed on the wanted list, it added. They were summoned on suspicion of violating the National Security Law, which means the previous ruling of the Supreme Court also applies to the current Hanchongnyon as an enemy-benefiting group, it stressed.
Unlike the NPA plans, the Ministry of Justice is reportedly under consideration of pardoning about 200 of those who have been wanted for a long time in a special pardon on Aug.15, sparking another controversy.
We have been reviewing whether the organization is an enemy-benefiting group since this May and under consideration of pardoning those wanted, said an official of the Justice Ministry. Those who joined the 10th Hanchongnyon are known to be pardoned. Justice Minister Kang Kum-sil has also said in a meeting with human rights activists before leaving for her vacation that the previous and current leaderships will be treated separately and somebody will not be sought by police only because he or she is a top official.
Nonetheless, the stance on dealing with the organization is still unclear even inside the ministry. The scope, methods and timing of removing the members from the wanted list have not been decided yet, said a working-level official. We are considering the relevance with other activities such as violating laws and the extent to which they were involved.
In response, an NPA official said that if the government pushes for removing Hanchongnyon members from the wanted list, the conservative will strongly oppose. That is why the Justice Ministry and the police are at odds, he added.
Meanwhile, the judicial authorities continue to define Hanchongnyon as an enemy-benefiting organization unless there is a fundamental change. The Supreme Court confirmed the original sentence this May in an appeal by Kim Hyoung-ju, chief of the 10th Hanchongnyon, who was arrested on charges of violating the National Security Law in May. Although the 10th Hanchongnyon amended their main principles moderately, the purpose is seemingly to be adapted to the changes in circumstances or to be recognized as a legal organization to secure the freedom of activities. It is hard to see that the organization has fundamentally changed, said the Supreme Court. The 25-year-old chief was sentenced to two years in prison and two years of disqualification.
Some 50 family members of the students on the wanted list delivered their protesting letter to Police Superintendent Choi Ki-moon saying, Issuing summons against the 44 incumbent officials is nothing but dampening the discussions over legalizing the organization.