PM apologizes to Hansen's disease patients for gov't oppression
- 관리자
- 2009.05.18
- Hit 4362
Han delivered the message during a visit to Sorok Island, the country's most famous colony for Hansen's disease patients, on the "Day for Leprosy Patients."
It is the first time for a sitting prime minister to visit the remote island in the southwestern province of Jeolla.
The Sorok colony was founded on the small island in 1916 by the Japanese, Korea's colonial rulers at the time, as they attempted to quarantine Hansen's disease patients. The South Korean government forced them to remain there until 1963, nearly two decades after Korea's liberation from Japanese colonial rule. Hundreds of people who suffered from the disease still reside on the island even after they have been cured.
"It took so long time for South Korea's prime minister to meet people with Hansen's disease," Han said in his speech at a ceremony. "On behalf of the government, I offer deep apology and condolences to the patients and their families who had unspeakable suffering amid social discrimination and prejudice." He added that the government is doing its best for the protection of their rights and their welfare.
Hansen's disease is a curable disease of the skin and nerves, but its victims have long been ostracized by society in many countries.
From YonhapNews(http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr)