Exclusive: Timeline of Allegations of Torture by Canadian Jailed in South Korea

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TORONTO – WARNING: This story contains details some may find disturbing

In a secret letter obtained by CTV News, a Korean-Canadian man jailed in South Korea says he is tortured, beaten and harassed by prison staff while serving his eight-year sentence.

Canadian citizen Han-Min Seo is serving an eight-year sentence in Daejeon Prison for spraying his former teaching assistant and others with sulfuric acid during a court mediation meeting in 2014.

Seo sent a letter detailing the exact dates and times of the allegations of torture and harassment he says he suffered at the hands of prison staff.

The letter was sent under the guise of a gift to British author Malka Adler, where it was intercepted by staff at HarperCollins Publishing and obtained by CTV News.

CTVNews.ca has authenticated Seos’ identity through local reports, court records, and information provided in correspondence, including his prisoner number.

Below is a timeline and detailed description of his allegations sent in the letter:

November 27, 2020: Seo is said to have gone on a hunger strike after being punished by the guards for feeding pigeons. November 30, 2020: Seo claims he was beaten by the prison’s critical response patrol team while on his way to a doctor. Seo said in the letter that there was video surveillance of the incident and he complained to local police. April 23, 2021: Seo alleges that the CRPT took him to a soothing room without warning and for no reason, where they put him in restrictive protective gear, with handcuffs and a chain around his torso. Seo alleges that every 30 minutes, he was tortured by prison staff by twisting the handcuffs and pushing on sensitive areas of his body, including his torso to cause him to lose the air supply. He also alleges that they hit him on the head, with the aim of having him withdraw his allegations of November 30, 2020 and withdraw the charges, as well as all administrative cases, human rights cases and complaints. civilians. Seo alleges that he complied and signed everything presented to him by someone he calls the grievance team leader at the prison to stop the torture. April 26, 2021: Seo alleges he was again physically beaten before being sent to investigators (it was not clear who they were). He alleges that prison staff told him he should admit everything or be accused of hitting an officer. Seo said he followed all the instructions out of fear. May 3, 2021: Seo alleges that he spoke to a police officer from the Yuseong Police Station and relayed his allegations against the prison, and that the officer requested documents but Seo alleges that the guards refused to help in this matter. Seo claims to have written several letters that afternoon to the Minister of Justice, South Korean President Moon Jae-In, human rights organizations and the justice system, asking for help and protection. Seo alleges that the CRPT then came to threaten him about the letters. May 4, 2021: Seo claims he was tortured by the CRPT again that day, when his oxygen was cut off, forcing him to regain consciousness and lose consciousness. He alleges that they threatened him about the letters he wrote the day before. May 10, 2021: Seo claims to have received a visit from his lawyer, to whom he shared these allegations, although he has already been threatened by the CRPT, in an area of ​​the prison without video surveillance. May 13, 2021: Seo alleges that the CRPT brought him to his office and pressured him to write to the Daejeon prosecutor’s office to again withdraw his allegations and charges arising from the incident in the November 30, 2020. Seo claims he complied out of fear.

In a statement to CTVNews.ca, Global Affairs said Canada takes allegations of torture very seriously and that the organization is aware of the case of a Canadian citizen serving a prison sentence in South Korea and has provided consular assistance.

In a statement emailed to CTVNews.ca on Wednesday and translated from Korean, South Korea’s Justice Department firmly denied all of Seos’ claims and refuted his claims in detail.

Regarding Seos’ allegations from November 2020, the Justice Department said Seo was reprimanded for failing to comply with prison staff orders not to bring food during the outdoor exercise, and even though it was true that Seo was brought in to see a doctor and was accompanied by the CRPT, he was not beaten and his claim is false. The statement said that CCTV is installed in the hallway of the prison medical department and that a large number of inmates have come and left during the time that Seo claims to have been beaten. The statement says all CCTV footage has been submitted to investigators. The Justice Department’s statement categorically denies Seos’ claims of April 2021. It states that when the CRPT patrolled the detention center, Seo responded violently with abusive language when asked to wear his uniform. of prison and not to lie down. The statement said Seo insulted prison staff and performed a threatening act by hitting the wall with his fist and swinging it, resulting in him being tied up. Prison staff considered that there was a high risk of self-harm or injury to others and, in accordance with the relevant regulations, they [Seo] was housed in the protection room using protective equipment. The statement said that while Seo may have felt like he had been subjected to harsh acts, his allegation of torture by the CRPT by cutting off his oxygen supply and being beaten is not true and is not true. than a unilateral assertion without any foundation. In another April 2021 case, Seo was accused of using abusive language against prison staff and during the internal investigation process, the Justice Department said Seo admitted to his wrongdoing, but then reversed his position. The statement said that Daejeon Prison conducted an objective investigation confirming eyewitness statements and referred the case to their disciplinary committee, which was attended by three outside members to ensure fairness. Seo was punished. The statement confirms that Seo spoke to a police officer at Yuseong Station in May 2021 about his allegations against the prison and the CRPT, but denied that Seo was prevented from handing documents to the officer, and said. stated that complaints can be made verbally to officers for investigations. The statement said Seo requested that his own letters to the Ministry of Justice, the Blue House (the official residence of Korean President Moon Jae-In), the Daejeon District Prosecutor’s Office and the Daejeon District Court be sent to him. returned, which has been done. The statement denies that the CRPT threatened Seo over his letter. The statement categorically denies Seos’ claim of May 2021 that the CRPT tortured him by cutting off his oxygen supply as a one-sided and unfounded claim. The Justice Department confirmed that the CRPT accompanied Seo on two occasions during his attorney’s visit, including on May 10, 2021, but that this was due to fears that Seo might behave unexpectedly and that he would not there were no threats or verbal abuse. .

The Justice Department noted that with respect to Seos’ ongoing appeal process, he had seven meetings with his lawyer and two phone calls with the Canadian Consulate in English, and that although the prison took With knowledge of his allegations emanating from November 2020 in December that same year, they have taken no action to get him to drop the complaint since then.

Concluding its statement, the Justice Department wrote: This is only a one-sided argument on the part of the prisoner, and Korean correctional facilities are continually doing their best to protect the human rights of prisoners.

Daejeon Prison is where conscientious objectors to South Korea’s compulsory military conscription serve an alternative sentence.

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