Korean Police Administration Prohibits Use of Human Rights Center for Peace Film Festival 
The Seoul branch of Solidarity for Peace and Reunification of Korea (SPARK) will hold a peace film festival from 26 October (Thursday) to 29 October (Sunday). As the title “Peace Film Festival” indicates, they plan to screen 11 diverse films that take peace as their central theme. Seoul SPARK had inquired about using the police administration’s human rights center, which was the venue for this film festival last August, received permission, printed publicity folders, and made various other preparations. However, at the end of September, the police administration suddenly sent a fax, notifying Seoul SPARK that the police would not allow them to use the human rights protection center as the location for the film festival. It appears that the reason is that the police find the documentary “The Battle of Daechuri”, which opens the festival, and SPARK, who oppose the expansion of the US military at Pyeongtaek, to be too much to bear.
Therefore, on 12 October (Thursday), Seoul SPARK held a protest press conference in front of the police administration building. At that time, the Korean police surrounded the members of Seoul SPARK who were holding the press conference, hindering their movements and interfering with the journalists who were trying to report on the press conference. About 10 people carried on with the press conference with difficulty, and more than 300 policemen were mobilized. Furthermore, the police stopped people who wanted to attend the press conference and prevented them from participating. In the end, no more than about a dozen people were able to take part in the press meeting.
“The Battle of Daechuri” is also being presented at the Busan International Film Festival which is now being held. Korea’s foremost actors and of course, even famous foreign film stars are coming to Busan and celebrating this film festival.
Though “The Battle of Daechuri” was also presented at the international film festival, the fact that it was impossible to screen it at the police administration’s human rights protection center exposes the true face of the Korean police.
Now, the Korean police are preventing everyone from seeing what is happening at Pyeongtaek where the US base is being expanded. Furthermore, it has been revealed that the police administration’s human rights protection center is not a place where human rights are protected, but rather a place where the police are protected. Seoul SPARK wants to recommend that this kind of human rights protection center should be closed down instead.
Seoul SPARK plans to screen “The Battle of Daechuri” this coming 25 October (Wednesday) at 7:00 p.m. in front of the police administration building. It is possible that the police will arrest some people at that time. Showing a film in front of the police administration building is not a problem in terms of the law, but it is the sort of situation where the Korean police ignore the law and do what they want.