HOODED PRISONERS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 27573, 15 December 1950, Page 7

HOODED PRISONERS

South Koreans Round Up Suspects * NZPA—Copyright Rec. 8 p.m. SEOUL, Dec. 13. •In the chilly twilight this afternoon a column of hooded figures wended its way through the back streets of Seoul. Their hands were tied, and they were lined together as they trudged along under the rifles of their guards. City crowds scarcely bothered to give a side-long glance of interest at their strange garb—or of pity at the frightened eyes that stared through slots in the straw hoods which covered their faces. These faceless people were men and women prisoners. Most, if not all, were political prisoners—suspected Communists. Almost every day a column of these hooded figures appears in Seoul streets. Many end their lives on the execution ground on the outskirts of the city, where the rifles of firing squads speak out almost every day. Yung Shick Chaim, vice-chief of the Soul. city police, explained that the prisoners were hooded to save them the shame of being recognised. They were hooded only while being marched from the court to prison during their trial. It. is an old custom in Korea, but any prisoner who does not wish to wear a hood need not do so. Chaim and his police handle only part of the large number of political prisoners, but he said his police in the past week alone had arrested 540 suspects. The man who has the final disposition of many of the hooded prisoners is Major Young Lee, chief execution officer in the Seoul area command of the Republic of Korea. He said today that the Korean militarv police in the past two weeks had shot 400 men and women sentenced by the Seoul Court to death for political offences.