Under siege

The general secretary of Korean Association of Progressive Movements (KAPM) was arrested last night.

We had just met with him and another leader just 3 days earlier. They had both anticipated that warrants might soon be out for their arrest because one of their members was already in jail, and two others had warrants out for their arrest and were seeking refuge at Chogyesa 족에사, a Buddhist temple in Seoul (along with 6 other activist leaders).

Rallies are illegal in Korea and so leaders of progressive organizations in Korea are being targeted and accused of organizing the vigils. Americans take freedom of speech and freedom of association for granted. In Korea, you're literally risking your life for democracy.