[Editorial] Justice Minister Should Also Take Responsibility

The autopsy results by the National Institute of Scientific Investigation of Cho Chun-hoon, who suddenly died while being interrogated at the Seoul District Office of the Public Prosecutors`, verify that authorities have officially employed torturing as a means of investigation methods, a method that destroys the respect and the treatment a person deserves to receive. The autopsy report says that it is highly possible that Cho died of a shock and a cerebral hemorrhage because Cho was "beaten all over his body." Thus, it is established for sure that Cho`s death was not a work of a chance at all.

In 1987, Park Jong-chul, a college student at that time, was found to die due to the tortures done by the police. The death of Park served this country an opportunity to sever the chain of the authoritative regimes. But we feel devastated to find that the brutal practice is still being repeated even 15 years after Park was murdered. It`s scary just imagining a citizen, without any means to defend him/herself, being locked up in a dark room and tortured by the brutal men in power. We cannot help but shiver in fear when we think of the pain and desperateness that Cho felt while being beaten to death.

We, however, get more perplexed to see the response of prosecutors. They consider Cho`s death as a "herald one." Their response tells us that they have engaged themselves in the brutal practice of torturing. We can understand in the same context the sympathy of some prosecutors toward those being accused for Cho`s death and the statement of Kim Jin-hwan, who leads the Seoul District Prosecutors` Office. Kim said in the statement, "The prosecutors in charge just overact out of their zeal. We should understand them."

It is also pathetic for the prosecution to hastily announce, ever prior to making a definitive determination in this case, that the agents just had him kneel, but no torture seemed to have been inflicted. Also shameful is the prosecutor`s rushing toward cutting a deal with Cho`s family and settling it out of court. Considering all the circumstances, we cannot help but to make a conclusion that the prosecution has not learned a lesson yet. Actually, it seems to take a long time.

Cho`s case is not a one-time event. It is deeply rooted. Therefore, fundamental measures should be made out by, for example, holding accountable not just the actual perpetrators, but all the people in the chain of command. Justice Minister Kim Jung-gil is also to be blamed. He has served as Justice Minister twice in Kim Dae Jung administration, an administration that has boasted itself as an administration of human rights. But he has let the whole prosecution ruin itself to this point. We, the citizens of South Korea, want to see the people with authority should take the full responsibility for this shameful occurrence.