The authorities gave instructions to prisons to check letters of prisoners of conscience who were arrested being charged with the involvement in the incident of the Ilsim Association and the spy-ring case of a university lecturer, and not to allow those letters with political contents to be sent out.

In particular, the Pusan Prison delivered a lecture terming the opposition Unified Progressive Party, the Confederation of Trade Unions and the Teachers' Trade Union the "forces following the north" under the pretext of education for security.

In the press conference speakers denounced the authorities' moves as brutal human rights abuses which ruthlessly violated the basic rights of man such as the thinking, conscience and freedom of correspondence.

They expressed their indignation at the authorities' action getting hell-bent on the ruckus over "forces following the north".

They called for stopping at once the extreme human rights abuses against prisoners of conscience and punishing those who have responsibility.

On the same day, the Confederation of Trade Unions in a commentary accused the conservative ruling forces of making desperate efforts for cramming ideology in a bid to maintain the ramshackle power.