No matter how much I'd LOVE to publish the verdict, to do so would expose the South Korean judicial system for what it is and I'd definitely be in contempt of court. For those following the story of Micheal Breen, you know that foreigners are always under more fire than a Korean when it comes to exposing the nasty side of the hermit kingdom.
Until such time as I can expose the verdict, court briefs, and evidence I've gathered, I have to ask you to trust me that there is most certainly something here worth investigating and while I'd be in contempt to show the court papers or police report, I can show you pictures. I'm not allowed to comment on the nature of the pictures or to speculate on what they mean. But I can show them to you and let you decide for yourself if there's something here that needs the attention of world leaders, US leaders in particular. These are photos taken in the ER about 3 hours after the "event" in the sauna. These are official police photos, they would only give me color copies made from a cheap printer, I simply scanned them. (warning, some may consider these photos as 'graphic'.) Link to Photos here
Now, that the *why I'm still kicking up my heels* part is settled, let's get back to what exactly has the US gov done to help. Let's just go over a small snippet shall we?
On the night Mike was murdered, I called the US embassy in Seoul on their emergency line. I asked for a Korean translator as we were in the hospital and the doc didn't seem familiar with or was unwilling to perform the extreme emergency measures I wanted performed. (it later turns out the doc just flat out refused, as is his right in Korea - I had money & insurance, which wasn't the problem)
After the night officer at the embassy revealed he couldn't speak Korean (this was after all an emergency line, how silly of me to expect the person who's responsibility to handle emergencies to actually speak the local language). He took my contact information and said someone would be in touch with me soon. I didn't talk to anyone from the embassy for a few days. I admit that I was in a severe state of shock after leaving the hospital as I watched my brain alive son being placed into a morgue cold box, after begging the docs to perform extreme measures to no avail.
While the events of that night are sharp as a tack in my mind, and it haunts me nightly as I try to sleep, the week or so after is a bit fuzzy. I'm guessing it was about 3-4 days later when I actually spoke to someone from the embassy. I called them. Then I showed up at the embassy May 16, 2008. They weren't even ready for me. I brought photos of Mike, the Chief of American Services refused to look at them. (nice photos, not the graphic ones - wouldn't get the graphic ones released from the police until April 3, 2009)
I'm not going to go into a day by day play of what the US embassy did or failed to do, (that you'll have to wait for the book - I'm not joking, and it will be published free online). What I do want to point out is how things are being twisted to those who are trying to help.
In Feb of 09, I read on the BBC that Clinton was coming to South Korea on her foreign nations tour. I did a little digging and found the number to her office and I rang her up. No kidding. I didn't get to speak to her obviously, but I did have a nice chat with Dan Fogerty (8th man down on the org chart). He suggested I send a fax highlighting what was going on. I did. Clinton's office (bless her & Dan) forwarded it as a top priority to the US Embassy in Seoul (I've got the copy). I was assigned to Linda Mcfayden as my East Asian & Pacific Crisis Management case worker. Sounds pretty fancy eh? well somewhere between Sec. Clinton's office & Mcfayden, the case was downgraded, to nothing based on input from the "political officers" at the US embassy's influence. (again, saving it for the book).
I was elated, I *thought* now I'm getting somewhere, I'm assigned a specialist. HA~! double HA~! stupid me. On March 15th I called Mcfayden and she point blank told me "I have more important things to do". I shit you not. Now to be fair, at that point in time, there wasn't much that could be done until after the Judges' verdict had come down, other than obtain copies of the autopsy notes & materials, which is what I've wanted all along. Secondary requests were those that would aid all foreign victims of crime. Sorry guys, my boy comes first, expat community second.
I was so angry after being told how unimportant my murdered son was to Mcfayden's office, which was especially hurtful after having gotten my hopes up with Clinton's recommendation for it to be "top priority". I typed off a 3 page letter to Mcfayden and never heard from her or her office again. This was the same night, March 14, 2009.
The last verbal contact I had with the US embassy was in April 2009. There were a few hostile emails exchanged in May/June 2009. (word quibbles over translation errors... the 100$ per page medical translation I had done on the autopsy papers listed my son's liver as having been exposed to tetracycline (an antibiotic) yet the "political officers" at the US embassy translated it as "drugs". Two entirely different connotations. The Chief of American Services at the US Embassy in Seoul refused to consider the professional medical translations, saying his staff were better qualified. They were painting my son as a drug user. Better to keep the high level diplomats from getting involved eh? Again, for more, ya gotta wait for the book. )
So skipping over to the present, House Rep Tarleton, the only one to reliably communicate with me, explains his inactivity with a letter he received from Mcfayden, indicating all was good and my son's case was in great hands. Because House Rep. Tarleton believed Mcfayden, he let up pressure. Why shouldn't he? the system was working right? WRONG. (see letter here)
Let's start with the beginning. Do you see the falsehoods in Mcfayden's letter?
1) The US Embassy in Seoul did not reach out to me, I had to track THEM down.
2) I'm not a "former" constituent, I am still registered to vote, and have maintained a mailing address and I vote absentee.
3) The US embassy has NOT been in contact with me in the manner as she implies! Daily phone calls? The Chief of American Services blocked my cellphone number so I couldn't call his office directly, I had to call through a receptionist & he got back to me WHEN & IF he felt like it.
4) Notice she doesn't say WHAT if anything they are willing to do in helping me refute the police's autopsy report. Just that they are aware of it. Nice. They know, but wont do anything.
It's for these reasons and hundreds more, that I deperately need your help, My voice alone does little or nothing. But our voice combined shouts above the din of inequity and forces the powerbrokers to take notice of "we" the people and to listen to our demands for justice. (and hopefully the transfer of the autopsy stuff to the US for a proper review)
If I'm not giving up....should you? | 
