| Park Jong-chul | |||||||||
| Module: |
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| Birth Date: | 1 April 1965 | ||||||||
| Birth Place: | Pusan, Republic of Korea | ||||||||
| Death Date: | [1] | ||||||||
| Death Place: | , Karwol-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea | ||||||||
| Death Cause: | Asphyxiation by torture in the form of water cure | ||||||||
| Burial Place: | Moran Park, Hwado-eup Namyangju, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea | ||||||||
| Burial Coordinates: | 37.6459°N 127.3207°W | ||||||||
| Nationality: | South Korean | ||||||||
| Alma Mater: | Seoul National University | ||||||||
| Occupation: | University Student | ||||||||
| Office: | may be used as an alternative when the label is better rendered as "Office" (e.g. public office or appointments) --> | ||||||||
Park Jong-chul (; April 1, 1965 – January 14, 1987) 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 .