▲ A portrait of the late Park Jong-chul at the Namyeong-dong Anti-Communist Investigation Office, Room 509
The police have revoked a large number of government awards, including medals, that were previously granted for contributions involving torture and the fabrication of espionage cases.
The individuals stripped of these honors include Lee Geun-an, a notorious torturer during the military dictatorship, and Park Cheo-won, the former head of the Anti-Communist Investigation Division at the National Police Headquarters, who famously claimed that student activist Park Jong-chul "died after a table was tapped" during his torture-induced death in 1987.
The National Police Agency announced on Tuesday, July 21, that it has canceled a total of 36 government awards previously granted to 20 individuals involved in past anti-communist cases.
The revoked honors consist of 15 medals, 3 merit ribbons, 12 presidential commendations, and 6 prime ministerial commendations.
The police have faced criticism for failing to review or revoke medals and commendations awarded to perpetrators of state violence.
While the Awards and Decorations Act allowed for the revocation of medals and merit ribbons, there was no legal basis to cancel presidential or prime ministerial commendations until relevant regulations were established in 2017.
A prominent example is former police inspector Lee Geun-an.
It is known that Lee received 16 awards during his lifetime.
Even after his prison sentence was finalized, only his Order of Military Merit was revoked, while a prime ministerial commendation he received in 1980 remained in his possession until recently.
Park Cheo-won, the former head of the Anti-Communist Investigation Division, was also reported to have received at least 13 awards, including the Order of National Security Merit, the Order of Service Merit, and presidential commendations.
The National Police Agency began its first comprehensive investigation in March of this year, reviewing approximately 100,000 government awards granted since the founding of the police force.
The purpose was to reassess the appropriateness of these awards based on the illegal exercise of state power, such as unlawful detention, harsh treatment, the fabrication of espionage cases, and the suppression of the democratization movement.
The 36 revoked awards are the first results of this process.
This includes one prime ministerial commendation held by Lee Geun-an, as well as two presidential commendations and four Orders of Service Merit held by Park Cheo-won.
Also revoked were four awards held by former National Police Headquarters chief Kang Min-chang, including the Order of National Security Merit, as well as awards held by police officials involved in past fabricated espionage cases, such as Hong Seung-sang, Yoon Jae-ho, Kim Soo-hyun, Baek Nam-eun, and Kwon Han-soo.
These cases involve instances where illegal investigations and torture were officially recognized, including the South Korean National Liberation Front case, the Samcheok fixed-spy case, the Seoul National University "Moorim" case, the Ham Ju-myung espionage case, and the Christian Institute for the Study of Justice and Development case.
Lee Geun-an passed away in March of this year, and Park Cheo-won died in 2008.
The 20 individuals whose government awards were revoked on this day include those who are now deceased.
In addition to government awards, the police are requesting that relevant agencies revoke 51 ministerial commendations and are further reviewing the potential revocation of awards related to the suppression of the May 18 Democratization Movement and the Samcheong Re-education Camps.
The National Police Agency stated, "We apologize to the victims and their bereaved families who suffered from the illegal exercise of police power in the past," adding, "We will not stop our efforts to reflect on past mistakes and be reborn as a police force that is trusted by the public, with human rights protection and the rule of law as our core values."
(Photo: Yonhap News)
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