When truth becomes "business" and justice becomes "interest," history ceases to exist.
Interview with Former Chairperson Park Sun- young of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Concluding its Second Term
"South Africa, which was under colonial rule for over 300 years, finally came to terms with its past in just three years. But South Korea has been dealing with its past for over 20 years. Resolving the issue of the past is about achieving justice, not a pawn for some leftist lawyers."
Park Sun-young, former chairwoman of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), said in an interview with this newspaper, “In Korea, settling past history has become a ‘commercialization,’” and “Justice has long since been distorted into vested interests.” Park served as the final chairwoman of the second-term Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which launched in December 2020, and resigned on the 26th of last month, concluding her term. Regarding the Democratic Party of Korea’s push to revise the Past History Act to launch the third-term Truth and Reconciliation Commission, she said, “If we continue to cling to the past, a proper investigation of the truth will be delayed, and victims may be forced into lawsuits again.” The interview with Park was conducted on the 25th of last month, a day before her retirement, at the TRC’s office in Jung-gu, Seoul.
In an interview, former Chairman Park said, “The unreasonable situation in which the issue of resolving past history has become a means of business for left-wing activists continues to persist,” and “The so-called past history specialist lawyers and law firms are using the past history as a business.” Previously, attorney Kim, formerly of the Lawyers for a Democratic Society (Minbyun), was indicted on charges of receiving 2.47 billion won in legal fees for taking on around 40 lawsuits, including lawsuits for state compensation filed by victims based on cases he investigated while working at the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. He was found guilty by the Supreme Court in 2022.
Former Chairperson Park stated, "The reason this happens is because even if the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, a state agency, acknowledges the victimization of state violence, the current Past History Act does not stipulate compensation procedures, so compensation cannot be received based on the decision alone." To receive compensation, victims must file a civil suit against the state, separate from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's decision. However, Park asserts that this process often involves irregularities, with some politically-inclined lawyers or law firms taking on cases and profiting from them.
Former Chairman Park stated, "I've long argued that the National Assembly should enact a special law to establish a system whereby higher-level organizations, such as the Prime Minister's Office, review cases and determine compensation. Yet, the National Assembly remains unconcerned." He added, "Victims still pay 15-30% of the compensation to their attorneys in legal fees. We cannot allow this system, where attorneys pocket the money, to continue."
Former Chairperson Park also said about the amendment to the Past Affairs Act for the launch of the "3rd Truth and Reconciliation Commission," which passed the plenary session of the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee on the 27th of last month, "If the bill is confirmed as is, the issue of past history will become even more politicized." The amendment to the Past Affairs Act extends the investigation period of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission by one year to a maximum of five years and increases the number of commissioners by four, from nine to 13. He said, "The number of commissioners has increased (in the amendment), but if you combine the recommendations of the President, the Speaker of the National Assembly, and non-negotiating groups, in effect, two-thirds of the commissioners are members of the ruling party." Park also said that the amendment extended the investigation period by eight years from "the period of authoritarian rule (before February 1993)" to "before the establishment of the National Human Rights Commission (November 2001)," saying, "By extending the investigation to the early days of the Kim Dae-jung administration, they are trying to change history to their liking."
The second Truth and Reconciliation Commission, launched in late 2020, received a total of 20,252 requests for truth-finding and concluded 18,117 cases by November 2025. Former Chairperson Park cited the official ruling that the investigation into the cases of 367 adoptees sent from Korea to 11 countries, including the United States, Denmark, and Sweden, between the 1960s and 1990s constituted a "human rights violation" as a major achievement during her tenure. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission's investigation revealed that "lost children" were sent overseas under false pretenses, often labeled "orphans." Former Chairperson Park said, "I can't forget the image of the victims of overseas adoption kneeling and crying, 'Please resolve this.'"
☞Truth and Reconciliation Commission
This independent investigative body was established to uncover the truth about the anti-Japanese independence movement, civilian casualties before and after the Korean War, and human rights violations during authoritarian rule. Launched in 2005 during the Roh Moo-hyun administration, the organization concluded its activities in 2010. Former lawmaker Park Sun-young, who founded the North Korean human rights organization Mulmangcho Foundation, served as the final chairperson of its second term. The second term concluded on the 26th of last month.