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Letter in Support of Professor Oh Sei-Chull

August 29, 2008

National Prosecutor's Office
1730-1, Seocho 3-dong, Seocho-gu
Seoul, Republic of Korea, 137-069

Dear Prosecutor General Lim Chae-jin:

We, the undersigned members of the Steering Committee for the Alliance of Scholars Concerned about Korea, an organization which includes more than 150 faculty, students, policy experts, and concerned individuals, were shocked to learn of the arrest of Oh Sei-Chull, Professor Emeritus from Yonsei University, on charges of violating the National Security Law.  Many of us are familiar with work of Professor Oh Sei-Chull, and have great respect for his scholarship, activism, and his deep commitment to social justice.

We are writing to make clear our opposition to these charges which apparently were leveled against Professor Oh and six others solely for their membership in an organization that supports building an independent, democratic socialist society.  It is time for the Korean government to stop using the anachronistic National Security Law to curtail the expression of free speech.  As scholars involved in Korean issues, we are deeply concerned about the chilling effect this action is likely to have on Korean universities and Korean society more generally. 

We know that democracy must be defended and constantly renewed.  And, over the years, we have drawn great inspiration from struggles and the resulting democratic changes in Korea.  We therefore call on the Korean government to respect the rights of all Koreans to engage in political discussion without fear of intimidation and arrest.  We urge the prosecution office to drop all charges and release Professor Oh Sei-Chull and the others arrested with him.

Sincerely,

The Steering Committee, ASCK

Edward T. Chang, University of California, Riverside, USA
Alexis Dudden, University of Connecticut, USA
John Duncan, University of California, Los Angeles, USA
Henry Em, Korea University, South Korea
John Feffer, Foreign Policy in Focus, Washington D.C., USA
Suzy Kim, Boston College, USA
Marty Hart-Landsberg, Lewis and Clark College, USA
Jae-Jung Suh, SAIS-Johns Hopkins University, USA
Seung Hye Suh, Scripps College, USA
Theodore Jun Yoo, University of Hawai`i at Manoa, USA

Institutions are listed for affiliation purposes only

Additional Information

Statement in support of Prof. Oh by the National Association of Professors for Democratic Society:

http://www.professornet.org/webbs/view.php?board=professor-10&id=753&page=1

Rcent articles:

http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2008/08/113_30105.html

http://theseoultimes.com/ST/?url=/ST/db/read.php?idx=7162

http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200808/200808270019.html

http://www.dailiang.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=5372

http://www.vop.co.kr/A00000219900.html

http://hani.co.kr/arti/society/society_general/306844.html

http://www.ohmynews.com/NWS_Web/View/at_pg.aspx?CNTN_CD=A0000969054&PAGE_CD=

Oh's CV:

http://eclass.yonsei.ac.kr/ohsc/