▲ Mr. Park (first on the right), a member of the martial law army on May 5, and Mr. Shin (second on the right), a citizen who was mistakenly identified as having helped him
The May 5 Fact-Finding Commission has arranged a dramatic reunion of the wounded May 18 martial law soldiers and the citizens who helped them, but they have brought in the wrong people and are buying empty stock.
Yesterday (5th), the May 18 Investigation Committee arranged a meeting with Gwangju citizens and doctors who helped Mr. Pak Mo, a former member of the May 5 Martial Law Army, at a hospital in the North District of Gwangju.
Ms. Park was stoned in the head during the May uprising, knocked unconscious, and was taken to the hospital, which was run by a doctor, in a handcart with the help of an unknown citizen.
After some investigation, the investigation committee identified Mr. Shin Mo, a citizen who was a taxi driver at the time, as one of the citizens who helped Ms. Park and invited Ms. Shin to the meeting.
Ms. Park also believed that Mr. Shin was a "lifesaver" who helped her, and she repeatedly expressed her gratitude.
However, in the course of the conversation, it turned out that the situation at that time was different for Mr. Chung and Mr. Shin, the doctor who treated Ms. Park, remembered from each other.
Mr. Chung remembered that "Mr. Park was taken to the hospital in a handcart," but Mr. Shin "was taken to the hospital in a car."
Mr. Shin also said, "The hospital that was evacuated at that time had a different name (from Mr. Chung's hospital)."
In the end, the May 18 Commission of Inquiry tentatively concluded that it was not Mr. Park who was assisted by Mr. Shin, but another martial law force in a similar case.
Both Mr. Park, who thanked him, and Mr. Shin, who received the greeting, were in a hurry.
Some point out that the May 24 Investigation Committee, which should conduct more thorough verification than anyone else, may have been convinced of the facts prematurely without proper confirmation.
An official of the May 5 organization said, "The May 18 Investigation Committee, which did not produce any significant results, made a rudimentary mistake because it was in a hurry to produce results."
Another May 5 official said, "The history of May 5 has been plagued by distortions for a long time, and one small error can be the seed of distortion."
An official of the May 18 Commission of Inquiry explained, "Mr. Shin's statement in the preliminary investigation was very consistent with the situation at the time," and said, "We will continue to investigate who was the citizen who evacuated Ms. Park to the hospital and who was the martial law force to whom Ms. Shin was evacuated."
(Photo = Courtesy of the May 5 Fact-Finding Investigation Committee, Yonhap News)