E/CN.4/1992/17 page 66 Republic of Korea Letters and Government replies 188. On 6 August 1991 the Special Rapporteur sent a letter to the Government of the Republic of Korea transmitting information according to which prisoners, both those detained for anti-State activity and common law suspects, had allegedly been subjected to torture and ill-treatment over the previous few months. The alleged ill-treatment principally consisted of beatings and prolonged deprivation of sleep. Most of the cases reported concerned members of the Sanomaeng group (Socialist Workers League), who were arrested in September and October 1990. Others concerned members of the Chamintong group (Independent National Unification Group), arrested in December 1990. The following individual cases were reported: (a) Lee Song-Su, aged 27, an was arrested as a suspected member he reportedly told his lawyer that because he refused to answer their ex-student of Sung Kyun-Kwan University, of the Sanomaeng group. On 23 October 1990 he had been beaten by his interrogators questions; (b) Hyu Jung-Dok, aged 27, a suspected member of Sanomaeng, told his lawyer on 1 November 1990 that he had been kept awake for three consecutive nights, stripped and beaten soon after his arrest; (c) Park Ki-Pyong, the alleged leader of the Sanomaeng group, was arrested in March 1991 and also alleged that he had been beaten and denied sleep for several nights during his interrogation; (d) Other members of Sanomaeng who claimed to have been ill-treated were Chang O-Yong, Chon In-Hyun, Kim Ok-Hyun and Chong Mi-Hwa. 189. In December 1990 it was announced that some 30 members of the Chamintong group were arrested. According to several of the detainees' families, their sons were stripped and beaten with wooden bars, kicked and stepped on while being forced to kneel down on the floor. Members of the group who alleged having been beaten, kicked or deprived of sleep for several days included Kim Yo-Sop, aged 25, a graduate of Hanrim University, Choi Won-Guk, a former student, Kim Gi-su, a student at Kyung-hee University, Kim Dong-Kyu, aged 24, a student, and Hun Jung-Sook, aged 24, a female graduate of Kyung-hee University. 190. In October 1990 several thousand suspected common criminals were arrested in a large-scale operation announced as "War against crime". On 21 October 1990 a local newspaper reported that at least eight criminal suspects, including Kong Pyong-Chin, aged 20, were alleged to have been beaten by police interrogators. 191. By letter dated 14 November 1991 the Government sent the following information with respect to the above-mentioned cases: