Yonhap News Agency Article: “Song Sang-gyo Inaugurated as First Chair of the 3rd Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC 3).”
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Orignal Yonhap News Article published on March 4th, 2026.
Posted to Paperslip on March 6th, 2026.
Reporter: Choi Seok-hwan
Published: March 4, 2026
Goals include expanding ex-officio investigations and establishing a third investigation bureau
“We will continue uncovering the truth of unresolved historical injustices.”
Families of massacre victims express cautious expectations
Song Sang-gyo, chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, speaks at his inauguration ceremony held on March 4 at the Commission in Jung-gu, Seoul. / Yonhap News
Song Sang-gyo (54), former Secretary-General of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, has been inaugurated as the first chairperson of the 3rd Truth and Reconciliation Commission. His term will last two years starting from the day of his appointment.
The commission held the inauguration ceremony on the afternoon of March 4 in the main conference hall of the Namsan Square Building in Jung-gu, Seoul. About 40 people attended, including:
Choi Sang-gu, standing chair of the National Association of Bereaved Families of Civilian Massacre Victims Before and After the Korean War
Baek Kyung-min, chair of the National Committee for Jeju 4.3
Lee Jeok, chair of the National Association of Victims of the Samchung Re-education Camp
Advisory members of the preparatory committee for the 3rd Truth and Reconciliation Commission
Role of the Commission
In his inaugural speech, Song said:
“I feel the heavy responsibility of serving as chair of the 3rd Truth and Reconciliation Commission.”
He emphasized that the commission’s role is to:
investigate civilian deaths before and after the Korean War
examine human-rights violations committed by state power
investigate human-rights abuses in institutional facilities
examine human-rights violations in the overseas adoption process
He said the commission must also:
clarify the history of repeated oppression and exclusion
restore the honor of victims
lay the groundwork to prevent recurrence.
Criticism of the Previous Commission
Song stated that the second commission did not fully uncover the truth.
He pointed to:
limitations of a system that investigated only cases submitted by applicants
controversies surrounding historical interpretation
He said:
“Although there were achievements, the number of cases fully clarified was limited compared to the scale of harm revealed during investigations.”
According to Song:
2,111 cases remained unfinished when the previous commission’s term ended.
Plans for the 3rd Commission
Drawing on his experience as secretary-general during the second commission, Song promised to build a stronger third commission.
His priorities include:
improving investigative authority and systems under the revised law
strengthening the organizational structure
conducting systematic investigations into:
institutional human-rights abuses
human-rights violations in overseas adoptions
To support this, he said the commission will:
increase the number of standing commissioners
establish a third investigation bureau
He also announced plans to:
expand ex-officio investigations rather than relying mainly on submitted petitions
increase investigative staff
strengthen cooperation with government agencies such as:
the National Intelligence Service
the police
the military
This cooperation will help secure documents and improve record-management systems.
Song also said the commission would operate as a victim-centered institution.
He stated:
“Rather than approaching historical issues ideologically, we will focus on correcting unjust suffering.”
He added that the commission will work to:
restore victims’ reputations
build measures to prevent similar abuses in the future.
Background of the New Chair
Song Sang-gyo was born in 1972 in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province.
He:
graduated from Choongam High School in Seoul
earned a law degree from Seoul National University
In 2002, he passed the 44th Korean bar examination and began practicing law, mainly handling human-rights and historical injustice cases.
He participated in litigation related to:
the Kang Ki-hoon “ghostwritten suicide note” case retrial
fabricated espionage cases
state compensation lawsuits connected to historical injustices.
He previously served as:
human-rights specialist on the National Human Rights Commission committee for people with mental disabilities
member of the Prosecutorial Past Affairs Committee at the Ministry of Justice
secretary-general of Lawyers for a Democratic Society
human-rights committee member at the Korean Bar Association
During the second Truth and Reconciliation Commission, he served as secretary-general overseeing the commission’s operations.
Reactions from Victims’ Families
Families of civilian massacre victims expressed hope about Song’s appointment.
Noh Chi-su, head of the Changwon association for families of Korean War civilian victims, said:
“A person who understands historical-justice issues well has become chair.”
He added:
“He gained considerable experience while serving as secretary-general of the previous commission, so we hope investigations that were previously delayed will now move forward more quickly.”
Structure of the 3rd Commission
The third Truth and Reconciliation Commission will operate with:
13 commissioners
three investigation bureaus
The investigation period may last up to five years.
Applications for truth investigations can be submitted for two years after the commission’s launch.
The commission began accepting applications after its launch on February 26.
The organization is still being formed, including:
selection of standing and non-standing commissioners
hiring of senior officials and staff.
In addition to new investigations, the commission must also process the 2,111 cases left unresolved by the previous commission.”