SOUTH KOREANS WALK PAST PORTRAITS OF LONGTERM PRISONERS IN SEOUL, 1999-02-22 (photo)

A South Korean boy walks past placards representing 17 long-term prisoners in Seoul February 22. The 17, who were arrested for pro-North Korean activities, have refused to sign an oath to obey the draconian national security law which would have earned them an earlier release and as a result have been held in solitary confinement for between 28 and 41 years. South Korea announced on Monday it would grant amnesty and release a total of 8,812 prisoners, including the 17 long-term prisoners, on February 25. The large numbers on each placard represent the number of years each prisoner has spent in solitary confinement. Most of the portraits bear the same likeness because nobody knows what these prisoners look like now. PB/DL/ME