C.
500.
My Lord,
TRESS
Britian09 308
British Embassy,
Tokyo.
MAN I 19201
9963 November 27th, 1919.
A Canadian gentleman Fair 24th10soltan, who has for the
last four years been connected with one of the American Missions in Corea, came to see me a few days ago on his way to Canada, where he is proceeding on leave of absence.
According to Mr. Soltan, in spite of the promises of reform held out by the new régime, the situation in Cores has not altered below the surface, and flogging and torturing continue in the prisona as before. He had been given to understand that flogging was to be abolished on the first of April next year and that the delay was due to the necessity of increasing prison as- commodation which would be required when imprisonment took the place of flogging. This appeared to him to be a lame excuse au imprisonment invariably preceded flogging already and torture was practised during imprisonment to extract confessions.
It was true that the prisons were more than full, and he quoted an in- stance of some thirty three unfortunates who had taken part in the independence movement of last Naroh who had now been imprison- ed for seven monḥhs without being brought to trial or without being allowed to see a soul from the outside world. Mr. Soltan said that Baron Saito and 52. Midguno, the new Governor-General and Chief Administrator, were credited with the best intentions, but that the Generla in command of the troops and gendarmerie, and the civil officials were the same se during the old régime and that they as well as their underlings continued along the same linea as heretofore.
. Hon.
1 Curzon of Kedleston, K.G.,
I
1
abo.,
ato.