December 8, 2004

(Clearwisdom.net) After images and articles about the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners were published on the internet, the atrocities caused indignation among Korean people. In Korea, though many people knew about the brutal persecution of Falun Gong in China, the appearance of photos was not widespread. Seeing the recently published images though, viewers were shocked.

The Korean internet media DCinside reported on December 3, 2004 that Falun Gong is based on the principles of "Truthfulness, Compassion, and Tolerance" and is a traditional Chinese Qigong cultivation system that includes gentle exercises and meditation. Practitioners attain improved health and a peaceful heart. Since former Chinese leader Jiang Zemin initiated the persecution in 1999, those practitioners not giving up the practice have been imprisoned, beaten, and sent to forced labor camps.

The report stated that there were many means of torturing practitioners. Shocking with electric batons and burning are common. Electric batons with as high as 30,000 volts are used to shock sensitive parts, including mouths, ears, and genital organs. The burning was done with hot iron bars.

Sexual abuse is common, especially towards women practitioners. Police and prison guards have raped, shocked and beat women practitioners at will. They even beat and stripped them, and then pushed them into male cells.

Beating, exposure to the hot sun and freezing cold are common. Other tortures include stripping practitioners, pushing them into dirty water and soaking them in the dark until rotting occurs over the entire body, poking sharp bamboo sticks into fingertips, forced abortions, and being dragged by a motor vehicle.

Internet users were shocked after seeing the images. One said, "Why do they treat innocent people like that?" Another said, "Even after the world community has put such emphasis on the importance of human rights, things like this still happen today."