| [ freeeXpression ] in KIDS 글 쓴 이(By): loneman (자유의지) 날 짜 (Date): 1994년12월28일(수) 20시00분05초 KST 제 목(Title): [설은주씨 편지] 수정된 번역 제가 일전에 올렸던 번역을 수정보완한 설은주씨 편지를 올립니다. 이글을 수정해주신 Mr Gary님께 감사드립니다. 방금 보니까 설은주씨의 두번째 편지가 눈에 띄는데 그 편지도 번역하도록 하겠읍니다. 이곳에 올리는 이편지를 읽어 보시고 미비한 점이 있다면 지적해 주셔서 보다 완벽한 번역이 될수 있도록 도와 주십시요. 이글을 우린 internet과 미국 각 기관에 부칠 생각입니다. 아직까지는 이글을 독자적으로 어떤 곳에도 유출하시지 말기를 바랍니다. �縡縡縡縡縡縡縡縡縡縡縡縡縡縡縡縡縡縡縡縡縡縡縡縡縡縡縡縡縡縡縡縡縡� [설은주씨 편지 원문] Translated by loneman Editted by Mr Gary From: IN%"doore@cts.com" 21-DEC-1994 17:26:25.34 To: IN%"SLS4W@cc.usu.edu" "KANG, MIN SOO" CC: Subj: Ms. Seol letter <Ms. Seol Letter> Dear students, My name is Eun-Ju Seol. I'm writing to tell you how my family and I were wrongfully detained, harrassed, and physically abused by US soldiers stationed in the Yong-San district of Seoul. This incident was reported in Korea on the MBC nightly news, but not in the American news media. Perhaps you can find some way to get this story out in the US. Let me start by saying how outrageous it is that my family and I had our human rights violated and were treated like animals by foreigners in our own country. I haven't been able to eat or sleep properly and my whole family has been devastated because of this humiliating incident. I hope that after hearing what happened you will help me bring to justice those who are responsible. These are the facts. On Oct. 25, 1994, my mother and I were visiting my sister, who married an American soldier six years ago. Her house is in Hannam village, which is military housing located on the army base. We were all worried about our father, who is 72 years old and quite ill. My sister was particularly concerned about his health and gave my mother a bundle of food to make a special porridge for him. The bundle contained four one-pound packages of sweet rice and a chunk of beef weighing about one and a half pounds. My mother stayed about two hours, but got worried and left before I did. About 30 minutes after she left we received a phone call from a stranger, a man who wanted to confirm the names of my mother and sister. Afraid that my mother had been in a traffic accident, I anxiously confirmed the names and asked what had happened. He said that Kum-Sun Kim, my mother, was being interrogated by US Army MPs at the main gate of Hannam Village about the bundle she was carrying. Since my sister was taking a bath, I ran down to the main gate by myself. When I got there I saw my mother, who is nearly 70 years old, surrounded by five sturdily built American MPs. She was crying and pleading with them, obviously in great fear. They were treating her as if she were a hardened criminal, like a drug dealer or something. Enraged by this scene, I protested by saying, "Why are you hassling her about this package? Haven't you ever given anything to your mother?" One of them asked me, "Are you this person's sponsor?" I replied, "I'm her younger daughter. I was visiting my sister with her." "Then shut up!" he said. At this point I got indignant and said, "I'm a Korean citizen and you're a US Army MP, so I have no reason to obey your order." After this he growled that I'd be arrested if I kept talking. This was so ridiculous that I asked, "On what grounds?" One MP immediately took out a pair of handcuffs and twisted my arm roughly behind my back. Three others jumped on me and one slammed my shoulder down on the ground with his fist, the same way the police arrest a fleeing felon. I shouted, "Somebody call the Korean police!" The MPs kept sneering "shut up!" and the one that handcuffed me gripped my right arm so hard that I still have bruises showing clearly. In the process of being handcuffed my right wrist was lacerated. These and other injuries required 10 days of medical treatment. While all this was going on, my sister, Eun-Ha Seol, entered the guardpost holding my four-year-old nephew's hand and saw what was happening. "Why are you handcuffing my sister?" she said. "You shut up too!" they shouted. Then they shoved her down onto the floor and one of them wrenched her arm up behind her back. He kept increasing the force on her arm as she screamed in pain. My little nephew, extremely upset by this scene, kept crying, "My mommy is dying! My mommy is dying!" My sister also had to have medical treatment for her injures for two weeks. What brave soldiers! These proud American "defenders of human rights" didn't hesitate to brutally assault a mother in front of her young child, for no reason except their own racism. When two jeeps arrived they put us in separate cars and made us wait there. Meanwhile a neighbor of my sister came down to the gate after she got a call from a Korean guard and volunteered to take care of my nephew. The MPs refused to let her do so. Instead they cursed at her as well, saying things like, "Fuck off if you don't want to be arrested too! " Soon we were led in handcuffs to the 8th Army MP office for formal interrogation. During the interogation my mother, who suffers from chronic hypertension, fainted and fell to the floor. The MPs ignored her and refused to offer any first-aid. Instead they circled around her, sneering and cursing at her. At this point my sister was weeping and pleading for an ambulance, but they just sat back and jeered at her. Finally, after about 30 minutes, my mother was transferred to Sun-Chon-Hyang Hospital. I was then charged with interfering with government officials in the execution of their official duties, as well as "misconduct" -- an incredibly brazen charge in view of the MPs' behavior -- and delivered into the hands of the Korean police. They took away my sister's U.S. citizenship ID card, placed her in confinement, and interrogated her for five hours, until 2:20 A.M. the next morning. I was released from the North Hannam Police Station at about 1:30 A.M. I couldn't sleep the rest of night, thinking how Koreans' human rights could be trampled on by foreign soldiers like this in their own country without any wrongdoing, so I went to the foreign affairs section in Yong-San Police Station to file a complaint against the American MPs. There I found out about something called the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) between the Korean and U.S. governments, which was enacted many years ago. This is an unequal treaty in which American GIs have nearly all the advantages. All legal efforts by Korean civilians to obain justice in many previous incidents of this kind have failed because of this agreement. Such efforts were as futile as trying to smash a rock with an egg. I sincerely believe that Koreans shouldn't be victims of this unfair treaty any longer. Those American MPs abused their authority, threatening and assaulting defenseless women. Was it because we were citizens of a small and weak nation, or because we were women? If the positions were reversed and Korean MPs had treated an American family like they treated mine, the whole US would be in an uproar, like a beehive hit with a stick. They'd probably call us a nation of savages and demand an immediate apology. My parents emigrated and lived in America for five years, but became homesick and returned to Korea. While I was in the States I saw numerous cases of injustice against Koreans and other minorities. Many Koreans were treated unfairly, for example, being falsely accused of being assailants when they were just trying to lend a helping hand. Korean immigrants can't win against such racist attitudes in America because their English is not good and they don't know the law well. But this is Korea. Why should we let this happen in our own country? My mother has been sick in bed since the incident. The mental shock and physical pain were just too much for her. She has become emaciated and freqently complains of physical discomfort. It's very anguishing to see her in pain. Whenever I hear her wake up screaming from a nightmare or ask me how she can live with such humiliation my soul cries out for justice. I sincerely appeal to you, help me bring them to justice. Let's show them that they're not above the law. The incident that I suffered is not just a misfortune for me and my family but an obvious violation of Korean sovereignty and a demonstration of contempt for the whole Korean race. Let them realize that they can't get away with such wrongdoing! I believe that your protests will have more influence than anything else. I wrote this in great agitation, so I hope it's not too incoherent. Thank you all. +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- 외로운 이의 자유여행 외로움은 나의 자유의 댓가이다. 강 민 수 행복을 향한 자유의 비상을.... +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- |