Korea lacks a confession culture, which could possibly lead to a better reconciliation between enemies of the past, Song Ki-in, the head of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, said.
Among verified truths involving thousands of deaths and the trauma of the common people in the past, there are very few people that come clean about their wrongdoings and repent, he said.
``In many Western societies, when a man comes out into the light to confess his offense and repent, people cheer him and forgive him. That encourages other people to openly talk about their own guilt,'' he said.
``I hope Korea will become a place where more people voluntarily talk about their embarrassing past and the victims or their families generously accept others' apologies so that wrong-doers do not hide themselves, fearing a backlash,'' he said.
In an interview with The Korea Times, Song who is to retire today after finishing his two-year tenure, said he assumed more than a million people in the nation have lived through trauma ― where their beloved ones or themselves suffered atrocities in society and were not able to speak out about their scars.
Since its establishment in 2005, more than 10,901 cases have been reported to the commission. Among the verified cases were the death of Jo Bong-am, who was killed for political reasons, and the forgery of the will of pro-democracy activist Kim Ki-sul. Both revelations were regarded as sensational as the two people were labeled as ``impure elements'' in the nation's history.
Through the help of the commission, Jo again was labeled as true pro-democratic politician who stood against the Syngman Rhee administration and Kang Ki-hoon was able to regain his honor as a pro-democracy fighter from a man who played a part in his friend's death and forged his will as alleged by the Roh Tae-woo administration.
`` We go out to seek the truth and recommend that offenders who try to manipulate cases come clean about them. If the government is the offender, we advise it to make an official apology,'' he said. In fact, the government has made an official apology statement to the residents of Jeju Island twice for wrongfully accusing them of being communists in 1947.
``It's not always that you have to give something or do something about it. Sometimes, just by telling them that you know their pain and how awful it must have been, you will see a great difference,'' he said.
There are some obstacles, too. The commission has been praised for bold decisions and no-holds-barred investigations, but has also been criticized by many newly revealed ``offenders''.
One of the then investigators who manipulated the investigation of Kang Ki-hoon strongly denied the commission's conclusion. He said he was innocent and believed what he did was right.
Also there is some cynicism that at this time focusing on the economy is the most crucial issue and looking back at history in anger helps no one. However, Song strongly refuted this argument. ``These days, not many people die of hunger, but many actually die from the trauma experienced in the past,'' he said.
Some say it's so hard to say goodbye to yesterday, but Song said a proper goodbye will take Korea to a better tomorrow. ``You can never talk about tomorrow when you don't know about the past,'' he said.
The now-retired Catholic priest hoped that the commission could look into the historical trauma involving other countries, too. He says many of the unidentified tragedies involve the United States and Japan, and cooperating with them could reveal hidden stories. ``That will be the way for the world to see a better tomorrow.''
bjs@koreatimes.co.kr
