CINA

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長白山/백두산

S.Korean (cheap) attack..

..and the Chinese (funny) counter-attack.

For more about such idiotic stuff (^^!!!):

☞ Let the Sino-Korean netizen war begin!

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AFTER TWO YEARS OF STRUGGLE:

A FIRST STEP ON THE WAY TO

THE LEGALIZATION OF MTU

Statement Welcoming the Seoul High Court’s Decision Overturning the Rejection of MTU’s Application for Union Registration

- The Korean government must now grant official union recognition to MTU immediately!

- We welcome the decision of Seoul High Court to overturn the rejection of MTU’s application for union registration!

Today, 1 February the 11th Special Division of Seoul High Court (Justice Su-hyung Kim presiding), issued a judgment calling for the cancellation of the rejection of MTU’s application of union registration.  This judgment overturned the previous ruling (Feb. 2006) which had upheld the original rejection of MTU’s application.

MTU presented application for union registration to the Seoul Regional Labor Office on 3 May 2005.  However, the Labor Office rejected our application on 3 June 2005 on the basis that undocumented migrant workers do not qualify as workers, and based on unjust requirements such submission of the name of each workplace represented, the names of union representatives and a complete list of union members.

Following this, MTU filed a suit with the Administrative Court protesting the Labor Office’s unjust decision and asking that the rejection of our application be cancelled.  However on 7 February 2006 the Administrative Court turned down our request, claiming again that undocumented migrant workers do not have the same status as other workers.

We against protested this clearly unjust decision and filed an appeal to the High Court.  Now, after waiting no less than one and a half years, the justness of our claim has finally been proven.

We welcome today’s decision with great joy!

We believe that the high court’s ruling is the outcome of our long and difficult struggle for the human rights and labor rights of migrant workers.  We also believe that it is the result of the warm solidarity of our Korean comrades who have defended and supported us this whole time.

We hope that today’s decision will give new hope and spirit to the 400,000 migrant workers who have been suffering under the relentless crackdown and deportations.

We believe this judgment provides a new opportunity for us to deepen our organizing and strengthen our struggle for migrant workers’ rights.

The road before us is still long.  Right now, many migrant workers who have been caught in crackdowns are suffering from shock and the horrible treatment inside foreigner dentition centers, which are worse than prisons.  They are unable to receive the severance pay and back wages justly due to them.  Those who are sick are unable to get medical treatment.  Instead they are being forcibly deported.  We must struggle with even more determination to end this oppression and win the rights of migrant workers so that we may life freely and safely with the dignity of human beings. 

Now, the Labor Office must accept the Court’s ruling and recognize MTU as an official union.  If it does not accept the decision and instead appeals to the Supreme Court, we will condemn this ant-labor attitude of the Ministry of Labor and continue to struggle with even more conviction. 

2007.2.01

Seoul-Gyeonggi-Incheon Migrants' Trade Union (MTU)

KCTU/Seoul Regional Council

About this important development even the S.K. bourgeois media is reporting:

☞ Court backs migrant workers' union (K. Herald, 2.02)

The S.K. "alternative" media - of course - is also reporting:

☞ 불법체류 이주노동자도 노조 만들 수 있다 (Voice of People)

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DLP and the coming presidential election:

Labor party leader seeks solidarity among progressive forces

The leader of the minor opposition Democratic Labor Party (DLP) Wednesday called for all progressive forces to unite for the December presidential election as the conservative major opposition party gains popularity due to sluggish economy and security concerns.

"There is hope that if progressive forces make a united front, we can sweep to power," DLP chief Moon Sung-hyun told a news conference. "We'll surely achieve a grand solidarity of all progressive forces."
Moon said his party will ally with all those who support the DLP's major policy platforms, but shun engaging in political realignment that might tarnish its public image as a labor party.

"We'll leave our door open to those intending to go along with our stance on medical insurance, housing and education" he said. "But we'll not do something that mars our identity."
The DLP, founded in 2000, has nine incumbent lawmakers in the 296-member National Assembly. The party's popularity reached a record 21.9 percent in an opinion poll in 2004 amid hopes it would take the initiative in reforming the South Korean political community, which has long been marred by factional fighting, money politics and regionalism.
 

The DLP's approval ratings, however, have gradually withered as its lawmakers didn't put forward any impressive legislation and didn't present a significant alternative policy for dealing with chronic economic doldrums, critics said.

The labor party was further hit hard after its deputy secretary general was indicted in December on charges of pro-North Korea activities. In a recent public survey, the party's approval ratings plummeted to 4.2 percent.
 

With the presidential elections drawing closer, the progressive party has a chance to revive the public's confidence in it amid a flurry of moves to regroup the political community. Some lawmakers who defected from the left-leaning ruling Uri Party have indicated they might align with the DLP.

"Public expectation of the Uri Party has been scattered. I believe a majority of people still want progressive forces to do well, so I confirm that the DLP should meet that expectation," Moon said.
 

Since 1998, South Korea has been governed by left-leaning governments seeking detente with North Korea and a greater redistribution of wealth. Recent public surveys, however, predicted a landslide victory by the conservative opposition Grand National Party in the December election.

http://english.yna.co.kr/Engnews/20070131/610000000020070131160042E7.html

Yonhap, 1.31

Yeah, dear DLP, keep dreaming!!

Actually - in my opinion - it would be very good for the S.K. society if progressive forces would get more influence/"power"..

But the DLP??? I really don't know..

Not long time ago a S.K. left(radical^^) political activist told me following story: "In the beginning of DLP's activities the people, like the activists in KCTU, called Kwon Young-gil (THE main "leader" of DLP) the Korean T. Blair(!!). Now they call him the Korean Lula(!!!!!)" Harrharr..

In Dec. 2005 Chosun Ilbo published following - about a very interesting opinion by one of the "leading" DLP activists: