Park Jong-chul

Park Jong-chul
Born	(1965-04-01)April 1, 1965 Pusan, Republic of Korea
Died	January 14, 1987(1987-01-14) (aged 21)[1] Anti-Communist Detached Office [ko], Karwol-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea[1]
Cause of death	Asphyxiation by torture in the form of water cure[1]
Burial place	Moran Park, Hwado-eup Namyangju, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea 37°38′45.2″N 127°19′14.4″E / 37.645889°N 127.320667°E / 37.645889; 127.320667
Nationality	South Korean
Alma mater	Seoul National University
Occupation	University Student
Korean name
Hangul	박종철
Hanja	朴鐘哲
Revised Romanization	Bak Jongcheol
McCune–Reischauer	Pak Chongch'ŏl

Park Jong-chul^[a] (Korean: 박종철; April 1, 1965 – January 14, 1987^[1]) was a South Korean democracy movement activist. His death by torture was a key factor in sparking the June Democratic Struggle, which led to the democratization of South Korea.

In the 1980s, as president of the student council in the linguistics department of Seoul National University, he was one of activists in universities struggling against Chun Doo-hwan's dictatorship and the aftermath of the 1980 Gwangju Massacre. Detained during an investigation into such activities, Park refused to confess the whereabouts of one of his fellow activists. During the interrogation, authorities used waterboarding techniques to torture him,^[2] eventually leading to his death on 14 January.

Information surrounding the events of Park's death was initially suppressed. His death by torture helped spark the June Democracy Movement of 1987.

His death, including the events of its immediate aftermath, was subject of the movie 1987: When the Day Comes.

• June Struggle

• Martyr for Democracy Bak Jongcheol Memorial Association (in Korean)

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