PM apologizes to Hansen`s disease patients for gov`t oppression

SEOUL, May 16 (Yonhap) -- Prime Minister Han Seung-soo offered a formal apology
Saturday to Hansen's disease patients who lived their lives in isolation under a
government policy.
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.
(END)