Korea may ask US to hand over classified Gwangju records
Kim Yong-chang, right, a former member of the U.S. 501st Military Intelligence Brigade, testifies about the Gwangju Democratization Movement in 1980 during a press conference at the National Assembly in this May 13, file photo. Korea Times file
By Park Ji-won
Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon has indicated the government may ask the United States to share classified documents concerning the 1980 May 18 Gwangju Uprising, and may create another fact-finding committee to uncover details of the incident.
Lee said Monday that he mentioned this during recent talks with Rep. Chun Jung-bae of the Party for Democracy and Peace (PDP).
The issue may be discussed topic at the planned summit between President Moon Jae-in and U.S. President Donald Trump in late June, the lawmaker said.
In a press release, Chun said Lee reacted positively to the idea of requesting Washington, through diplomatic channels, to hand over classified documents on the uprising.
“The government will be look into ways to ask for classified reports from the U.S. concerning the May 18 Democratization Movement,” Lee was quoted as saying by Chun.
“The disclosure of previously unreleased information can be carried out under the U.S.'s domestic laws and procedures. But, the government will have to discuss through diplomatic channels the release of some U.S. government documents on the May 18 movement that remain sealed.”
When asked whether he would suggest President Moon bring up the sealed documents issue during the summit with Trump, Lee said the government would first review the sensitive and important matter.
The move comes after Kim Yong-chang, a former member of a U.S. military intelligence unit, spoke critically of former President Chun Doo-hwan last month in various media outlets. Based on intelligence he gathered at the time, Kim claimed that Chun, a military general who seized power in a military coup, ordered troops to shoot protesters during the uprising, resulting in the deaths of hundreds of people. Kim claimed he saw Chun visit Gwangju secretly by helicopter, May 21, 1980, the day a major massacre occurred, and meet with four military commanders.
Since that massacre, bereaved family members have been asking for a fact-finding mission to find the people responsible for the killings. The PDP's Chun sent a list of questions to the Office of the Prime Minister after Kim's testimony that he considered the U.S. documents necessary to find out the truth.
According to Chun, the U.S. government disclosed some documents on the May 18 movement following a freedom of information request by U.S. reporters in 1993 and 1994, and also delivered copies to the foreign ministry here in 1996.
In 1997, Washington also made public documents exchanged between the State Department and the U.S. Embassy in Seoul between 1979 and 1980. In 2017, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) also disclosed some of its reports on the uprising.
Regarding the creation of another fact-finding committee, Lee said, “Based on the special law on fact-finding about the May 18 Democratization Movement, the government may launching an investigative committee.”
“During talks with Washington, we may consult closely with private experts,” he added.