공지사항
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- '노란봉투'캠페인/국제연대..
- no chr.!
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The bourgeois S. Korean daily JoongAng Ilbo reported following:
Protesters usher in trade talks with a noisy Washington rally
The first round of bilateral free trade negotiations between Korea and the United States were scheduled to begin this morning, or late yesterday evening in Seoul.
The Korean negotiating party lead by Kim Jong-hoon is the largest ever in Korea's short history of free trade talks. The Korean delegation is 158 strong, with representatives from 23 government agencies. Wendy Cutler, the U.S. chief negotiator, reportedly has a team of 178 backing her up.
But protesters got the jump on the negotiators, even if their numbers were not as large as the two trade delegations. About 40 activists from Korea joined about 250 Americans, of Korean heritage and otherwise, and some Mexican and Venezuelan protesters for good measure, in a noisy but peaceful 80-minute demonstration near the White House. Police made no arrests, perhaps a good omen but for the fact that the first day of demonstrations by Korean activists in Hong Kong in December was also peaceful, but protests turned violent on later days.
Kang Ki-kap, a Korean legislator affiliated with the radical Democratic Labor Party, was one of the demonstration's leaders. "We are here to warn U.S. congressmen of the dangers of the free trade agreement between the two countries and participate in the anti-globalization movement," he told reporters. The protesters in turn lay on the ground, chanted and waved placards, including some calling for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Korea.
The Korean negotiating team is also hoping that products manufactured in Kaesong in North Korea would be included in the free trade deal.
The work for the negotiators was to launch talks involving 17 broad sectors such as agriculture, financial services, medicine, education, legal services, accounting and government procurement. They have only about 10 months to wade through that agenda, which contains several political minefields. The U.S. president's "fast-track" trade negotiating authority expires in the summer of 2007; until then, the U.S. Congress has the right only to vote up or down on a trade agreement but not to amend it.
The semi-official new agency Yonhap wrote this:
Protest in Washington against S. Korea-U.S. trade pact proceeds peacefully
Hundreds of South Korean protesters marched through downtown Washington on Sunday to oppose a South Korea-U.S. free trade agreement (FTA) they say will destroy the livelihood of farmers and workers.
No violence or injuries were reported during the 80-minute rally. Protesters said they will hold rallies daily until Friday.
6.1 Minjok-Tongshin(USA) wrote following(in English)..
Korean and American Workers, Farmers and Legislators Voice Opposition to
As trade negotiators from the United States and South Korea begin free trade talks on June 5, American and Korean workers, farmers and legislators will voice their opposition to the proposed Free Trade Agreement (FTA) at a congressional press conference on June 7, 2006, 10 AM at the Cannon Terrace, Washington, DC.
Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH), sponsor of the briefing, says, "Once again Washington is ready to pass another trade agreement that benefits multinational corporations at the expense of workers and the environment. It is urgent that we end this race to the bottom and work for trade agreements that respect workers' rights, human rights and environmental principles. I look forward to the briefing and working to stop this bad trade agreement." Reps. Marcy Kaptur (OH) and John Conyers (MI) are also slated to address the bi-national delegation.
Co-organized by the Korea Policy Institute and the Oakland Institute, prominent Korean leaders representing labor, farm and parliament will speak on the impact that the proposed trade agreement will have on Korean society and economy.?/font>
"The proposed FTA will dramatically expand the failed model of NAFTA," says Anuradha Mittal, Executive Director of the Oakland Institute and trade expert, "wreaking havoc on American and Korean workers, farmers, and their families. We have come together to form a unified front to stop the free trade agenda from moving forward without people's consent."
"Unless the proposed FTA includes significant labor, agriculture, and environmental protections, it is difficult to imagine how the FTA could possibly benefit workers and family farmers in either nation" says Dr. Thomas Kim, Executive Director of the Korea Policy Institute. "Extensive and organized opposition is already building in Seoul, and they are finding willing partners to take up the fight in Washington." Koreans will be joined by U.S. representatives from the 35,000-member United Electrical Workers Union and the National Family Farm Coalition.
The Korean delegation to address Congress, which is still awaiting U.S. visas to be issued includes: Young Koo Heo, Vice President, Korean Confederation of Trade Unions; Jai Kwan Choi, Policy Chair, Korean Peasants League; Jeong Ok Yi, General Secretary, Korean Women Peasants Association; Ki Kab Kang, Member of Parliament, Korean Democratic Labor Party.
For more information, visit the Oakland Institute at www.oaklandinstitute.org or the Korea Policy Institute at www.kpolicy.org.
The latest article in Korean from them you can read here:
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Korean protesters in the "heart of the beast", in Washington.. And no riots, no revolution..oops
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