South Korea: Simultaneous Press Conferences in Four Cities Mark Historic April 25 Appeal in China

(Minghui.org) Falun Dafa practitioners from South Korea held press conferences simultaneously in front of the Chinese embassies and consulates in the cities of Seoul, Busan, Gwangju and Jeju at 11:00 a.m. on April 25, 2021, to commemorate a historic appeal made by Falun Dafa practitioners in China 22 years ago.

Falun Dafa practitioners hold a press conference in front of the Chinese Embassy in South Korea at the entrance of Myeongdong, Seoul.

Press conference in front of the Chinese Consulate in Gwangju

Press conference in front of the Chinese Consulate in Busan

Press conference in front of the Chinese Consulate in Jeju

Practitioners demonstrate the Falun Dafa exercises near the Chinese Embassy in South Korea.

It was sunny in all four cities. With the pandemic still raging, the practitioners abided by the Korean government’s strict epidemic prevention regulations, and the press conference was limited to nine people. In the bustling streets and government departments near the Chinese Embassy, practitioners displayed banners, distributed brochures, and did the Falun Dafa exercises, which attracted many people.

April 25 Appeal Puts Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance on Display

Dr. Wu Seyeol, General Secretary of the Falun Dafa Association in South Korea, spoke in front of the Chinese Embassy in Seoul. He explained that the purpose of the event was to commemorate the peaceful appeal on April 25, 1999, as well as to expose the nature of the CCP.

Noting that 375 million Chinese had renounced their memberships in the CCP and its youth organizations, Dr. Wu told Chinese people that patriotism does not mean loving the Communist Party. He called on the Embassy staff to withdraw from the CCP.

Dr. Wu also said that Falun Dafa is a truly healthy cultivation practice that teaches practitioners to live by Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, improve their morality, and purify their bodies with exercises. Although Falun Dafa is not aimed at curing diseases, he said it has a significant effect on improving one’s health.

Dr. Wu said that in the seven years after Falun Dafa was first taught to the public, CCP officials praised its effects on health and fitness, but when Falun Dafa became massively popular throughout China, the former CCP leader grew jealous and initiated the persecution campaign. He said that while the April 25 appeal was peaceful and rational, the CCP exploited it to frame Falun Gong.

Recalling the Peaceful Appeal

Dr. Wu explained that on April 11, 1999, CCP scholar He Zuoxiu published an article slandering Falun Dafa at the “Youth Science and Technology Expo” in Tianjin City. Some Falun Dafa practitioners in Tianjin requested that he correct the false content, but 45 practitioners were beaten and arrested. For this reason, more than 10,000 practitioners went to the national appeals office in Beijing on April 25.

Zhu Rongji, then Premier of the State Council, personally received practitioners and promised to release the arrested practitioners in Tianjin, allow Falun Dafa books to be published, and provide practitioners with a legal environment in which to practice their faith. The practitioners then dispersed peacefully.

A media report wrote, “This spirit shows a mature culture of petitioning the government and sets a new milestone in world history.” Another said, “It shows the spirit of Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance to the world.”

Revealing the CCP’s Nature

Dr. Wu said the CCP does not represent China, an ancient county with a long history and a traditional culture. On the contrary, he said the CCP is a Marxist-Leninist cult manipulated by evil elements.

His statement listed crimes committed by the CCP against both Chinese people and the international community. Since the CCP came to power in 1949, its various campaigns and persecutions have killed more than 80 million Chinese, he said.

Dr. Wu said that after the CCP occupied a free China, it continued to persecute the Uyghurs and Tibetans in Xinjing Province, violated its promise of “one country, two systems” in Hong Kong, angering the world. He stressed that the CCP’s harvesting of organs from living Falun Dafa practitioners is a crime that has never been seen on this planet.

He said the CCP also concealed the novel coronavirus, allowing it to spread worldwide and cause a large loss of life.

South Koreans Awaken to the CCP’s Threat

Dr. Wu highlighted several cases of Koreans successfully resisting the CCP’s infiltration. Noting people’s reluctance to accept text-based materials during the pandemic, he said practitioners produced image-heavy brochures, including content about a rock unearthed in Guizhou Province, China, that says, “The Chinese Communist Party [shall] perish.” According to practitioners who distributed the materials, many people not only actively accepted them but also read them carefully.

Representatives of the Falun Dafa Association in South Korea put the statement into the Chinese Embassy’s letterbox at the end of the press conference.

A middle-aged man who came to Seoul from Ansan City, Gyeonggi Province to attend a wedding ceremony said this was his first time hearing of the persecution of Falun Dafa. He was shocked by the severity of the CCP’s human rights violations.

A 60-year-old man said, “China is different from us. It is a communist country without freedom. For the sake of our younger generations, we need to separate ourselves from communist China. For those who are facing human rights violations in China, I hope the CCP will collapse soon.”

The South Korean police cooperated with practitioners to ensure the smooth progress of the event, and there were fewer uniformed officers guarding the embassy than usual.