S. Korea Demands Heavy Penalties for Rev. Han Sang Ryol


Pyongyang, December 25 (KCNA) -- The puppet Seoul District Prosecutor's Office demanded ten years in prison and ten years of suspension of qualifications for pro-reunification champion Rev. Hang Sang Ryol on charges of the violation of the notorious "National Security Law", according to MBC of south Korea.
The prosecutors charged that he visited the north without a prior consent of the "government" and praised the north while staying there and led the action for pulling down the statue of MacArthur in September 2005, sympathizing with the assertion of the north.
In this connection various organizations of south Korea accused the prosecutors of demanding ten years in prison for Rev. Han Sang Ryol, a penalty unprecedented in the past decade.
The prosecutors brought against him charges of what they called "reception of instructions," taking issue even with his anti-U.S. and anti-war activities in the past, they noted, adding this is arousing great concern


CPRK Accuses S. Korea of Demanding Penalties for Rev. Han Sang Ryol


Pyongyang, December 25 (KCNA) -- The Secretariat of the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea in information bulletin No. 970 Saturday blasted the south Korean regime for demanding heavy penalties for Rev. Han Sang Ryol who visited the DPRK on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the June 15 joint declaration
The prosecution demanded 10 years in prison and 10 years of suspension of qualifications for him on charges of violation of the "National Security Law," the bulletin said, and continued:
This action is a wanton violation of justice and conscience and an intolerable challenge to the desire of the Koreans for reunification.
Han's visit to the DPRK was a patriotic deed prompted by his ardent desire and strong will for national harmony and reunification.
During his stay in the DPRK he met northerners of various circles, sharing compatriotic feelings. He ardently called on the Koreans to pool efforts to reject outside domination and moves for aggression and anti-reunification forces' sycophancy and treachery and confrontation with fellow countrymen. He also urged them to defend peace and achieve independent reunification under the banner of the north-south joint declaration.
This being a hard reality, the south Korean regime arrested him soon after he crossed Panmunjom on the charge that he visited the DPRK without its consent to conduct "illegal" and "enemy-benefiting" activities. It has put him to unbearable persecution for a long period.
The south Korean regime's recent action disclosed its intention to opt for confrontation with the DPRK and war contrary to the desire of all the Koreans and the world public to see the north-south relations improved.
It should stand trial for its acts of division, confrontation and war.
The bulletin called upon the south Koreans and all other Koreans to strongly denounce the puppet forces for their suppression of pro-reunification forces, escalation of the confrontation with the DPRK and moves to launch a war.
It demanded the forces stop at once their actions to punish Rev. Han on groundless charges


---------------------------------------------------
SEOUL'S SLUM DWELLINGS


http://www.demotix.com/news/512876/seoul-forgotten-shantytowns

http://seoulsouthkorea.jimdo.com/slums-shantytowns/


Despite the efforts of the conservative Government of South Korea to show off the City of Seoul during the G20 summit as a shiny and prosperous capital there are still plenty of shantytown areas in and around Seoul. Many of the people living there can’t afford the immense costs for renting a room in the more modern tower blocks.

Many shantytowns got evicted in the last years and the people where forced out of their living places. 2009 six squatters died in an fire when special forces stormed their squatted building.

One of the biggest slums is found next to the business district of Gangnam-gu and has around 1.300 inhabitants, no real water connection, no post boxes and the energy is tapped illegal.

Actual statistics show that the urban poverty in Seoul is still high – 14% of the urban population (1.5 Million people or 500.000 households) are living beneath the poverty line. There are around 60 squatter communities with minimum 10.000 people living in Seoul.

The ACHR (Asian Coalition for Housing Rights) writes about the Public housing project from the South Korean Government: “In the past 20 years, poor communities have campaigned for access to subsidized public housing in these redevelopment areas, and some of them have got it. But this public housing is managed entirely by the government, which has the right to determine who will and won’’t get it. And people who used to stay together in lively and interlinked communities find themselves flung widely apart, living in isolation behind locked doors in their box-like units, in different high-rises and on different floors. Their connections with each other are lost, there is no more community. They have to pay a high rent also, and if they can’’t pay, they’’re kicked out.”

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------