“President Lee Jae-myung hosts luncheon for victims of state violence.”
Original Korean Article published in Yonhap News on August 7th, 2026.
English ChatGPT translation posted to Paperslip on August 7th, 2026.
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Please see the original Korean article for photographs.
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Yonhap News:
“President Lee Jae-myung hosts luncheon for victims of state violence.”
Reporter Lim Hyeong-seop
“The forced dismissals of KTU teachers, the Samcheong Re-education Camp, and other cases left deep wounds on the people… The state will take responsibility for healing them.”
“Thoroughly investigate human rights abuses in detention facilities, forced overseas adoptions, and other cases.”
President Lee Jae-myung hosts luncheon for victims of state violence
“(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Kim Do-hoon — President Lee Jae-myung enters the Blue House banquet hall on the 7th for a luncheon held to comfort victims of state violence, marking the launch of the third term of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. 2026.8.7
(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Lim Hyeong-seop — President Lee Jae-myung invited victims of state violence to the Blue House on the 7th and hosted a luncheon to offer them comfort, marking the launch of the third term of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
About 70 victims attended the luncheon, including people who suffered harm from unjust state violence but whose honor had not been properly restored or who had not received adequate other remedial measures.
In his remarks, President Lee reflected, “The modern history of the Republic of Korea is a history of dazzling growth and development, but at the same time, it is also a turbulent history in which our people suffered deep wounds from state violence and human rights violations.”
He continued, “During the Korean War, countless citizens were brutally sacrificed, and during the authoritarian era, the state suppressed the freedoms and human rights of its people, while citizens and students who demanded democratization were persecuted. Many people also saw their lives destroyed by excessive use of state power, in cases such as forced conscription, the ‘greenification’ [political re-education] operations, ‘guidance’ operations, and the dismissal of members of the Korean Teachers and Education Workers’ Union.”
He added, “There were countless instances not only of human rights abuses committed by state power, such as those at the Samcheong Re-education Camp and the Seosan Reclamation Corps, but also illegal detention, torture, and cruel treatment by state agencies, as in the Sabuk Incident and the case of fishermen who were abducted to North Korea and later returned.”
President Lee said, “These wounds did not remain confined to that era; the passing down of suffering from one generation to the next continued,” adding, “As president, I feel a deep sense of responsibility that the state has not sufficiently answered the victims’ earnest questions.”
He said, “We can no longer pass the long-overdue task of settling the injustices of the past on to the next generation. The state will take responsibility and heal these wounds,” and pledged, “By adding a third investigative bureau to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, we will thoroughly investigate human rights abuses in collective detention facilities such as Brothers Welfare Center and Deoksungwon, as well as cases of forced overseas adoption.”
He further explained, “We will also address the limitations of an investigative system that has depended on victims filing applications, and conduct proactive investigations in which the state takes the initiative to seek out victims.”
Furthermore, he said, “There is no expiration date on the state’s responsibility. Through a revision of the law last February, we clearly established the state’s responsibility to compensate victims,” adding, “We have also established the principle that statutes of limitations should not apply to claims for damages arising from state violence.”
President Lee Jae-myung greets attendees
(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Kim Do-hoon — President Lee Jae-myung greets attendees after delivering remarks at a luncheon held at the Blue House banquet hall on the 7th to comfort victims of state violence, marking the launch of the third term of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. 2026.8.7
President Lee emphasized, “The pain you have experienced cannot be washed away with a few words, but as president, I will make every effort with a profound sense of responsibility to ensure that no other state violence ever occurs again in our Republic of Korea, and that not a single innocent victim is sacrificed.”
Finally, he bowed his head and said, “Once again, I offer my deepest words of comfort and apology to all victims of state violence that occurred on this land since liberation.”
Song Sang-kyo, chairman of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, who attended the luncheon, responded, “For the first time, the president, representing the state, brought victims of state violence together in one place and offered them comfort and an apology. This will become a historic milestone in restoring the honor of victims.”
He added, “The third Truth and Reconciliation Commission will also do its utmost in its work, with a sense of urgency that this is the final opportunity to achieve a full reckoning with the past.”
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