CINA

본문

Amnesty International published two days ago following press relaese (based on a detailed report):

South Korea: Improve policing practices during protests
 

South Korean police used excessive force in some instances against demonstrators protesting earlier this year against the government’s decision to resume beef imports from the US, Amnesty International concluded in a report released today.

The report - including interviews with protesters, human rights monitors and journalists - documents instances where the police misused crowd control equipment, such as water cannons, and arbitrarily arrested and detained individuals. The report also highlights a lack of adequate police training and police accountability.

“While we recognise that the riot police for the most part acted professionally and with restraint, there are worrying examples of how protesters and even onlookers, not involved directly in the protests, were ill-treated,” said Sam Zarifi, Amnesty International’s Asia Pacific Programme Director.

 
“Protesters, and in some instances even members of the police force, were needlessly subjected to violence because of inadequate training on the part of police. There should be an independent, thorough and impartial investigation into allegations of human rights violations by police officials, and those responsible should be held accountable.”

Amnesty International interviewed people involved in the protests who had sustained injuries mainly to the head or face after, they said, being kicked, punched or hit with a shield or baton by police or fired upon with water cannons.

The police reported that 489 riot police were also injured during the protests. There are no official figures for the number of civilians injured.

These included:

- Lee E, a 22-year-old university student, was beaten severely by riot police. One police official grabbed her by her hair and pushed her to the ground.  He kicked her repeatedly in the head with his combat boots.  Lee E managed to crawl underneath a bus for safety and when she came out, another official – or the same one – grabbed and pushed her to the ground again. This time she was hit many more times in the head.  Lee E suffered a concussion and had to be hospitalised for three weeks. She vomited and suffered from dizzy spells.

 
- Kim C, a 31-year-old translator, told Amnesty International that a riot police official hit him in the eye with a shield.  Kim C fainted from the impact and when he came to, several riot police were beating him with batons.  Another official slammed his shield on Kim C’s head.  He needed stitches for cuts on his head and eyelid, and an imprint of a baton on his back remained visible even after two weeks.

- Lee Hack-young, National General Director of the YMCA, was injured with 60 other protesters while peacefully lying down on the street as 200 riot police came charging through them, slamming their shields on their bodies and hitting them with batons. The police broke Lee Hack-young’s arm. He also suffered head injuries and was kept in hospital for two weeks for monitoring.

- Kim B, a 35-year-old technician, told Amnesty International that he was hit in the face when the police turned a water cannon on him and knocked him off his feet.  Kim B suffered temporary blindness and his sight is still severely impaired.
Amnesty International calls on the South Korean government to review its current policing practices on the use of force, including the training and deployment of all police officials, in particular riot police. The organization also asks the authorities to consider phasing out the use of military conscripts.

“Instead of simply turning a blind eye to the violations that took place during these protests, the South Korean government must ensure that law enforcement officials, including riot police, are adequately trained, instructed and equipped with the skills necessary to police difficult and potentially violent protests, including training on relevant international human rights standards," said Sam Zarifi.

Background

 
The candlelight protests in central Seoul against the resumption of US beef imports due to fears of BSE or ‘mad cow disease’ began on 2 May 2008 and continued almost daily for more than two months.  Tens of thousands of people from all walks of life attended the demonstrations, with at least 100,000 on 10 June, the 21st anniversary of South Korea’s pro-democracy movement. The protesters voiced their discontent not only with the US beef trade issue, but with a broad range of President Lee Myung-bak’s other policies.

The majority of the protesters were peacefully exercising their rights to freedom of expression and assembly, which are enshrined in South Korea’s constitution, as well as international human rights law.  However, various provisions under South Korean law limit the right to demonstrate and protesters continued to defy government calls to disperse.

The protests were for the most part peaceful and given their size and duration, both the protesters and the police showed notable organization and restraint.  However, there were sporadic incidents of violence, as riot police and protesters clashed.  The two main flashpoints of violence occurred on 31 May/1 June, when the police first used water cannons and fire extinguishers, and 28/29 June, the weekend following the government’s announcement that US beef imports would resume.

(The Korean version of the text you can read here.)

The complete English report (51 pages!!) you can read here:

☞ Policing the Candlelight Protests in S.K.

Related articles:

☞ Amnesty Int’l Takes Side With Candlelit Protesters (K. Times, 10.7)

☞ 국제앰네스티 "한국경찰, 촛불집회 과도한 무력사용" (VoP, 10.6)

☞ AI weighs in on the candlelight protests (Hankyoreh)

본문

Today's Korea Herald reported following:

KCTU head indicted for protests 

 
Prosecutors yesterday indicted a top official of a major labor umbrella group on charges of obstructing operations at workplaces by leading illegal demonstrations.

Lee Yong-sik, secretary-general of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, is alleged to have directed the union members of Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group to go on strike in July to protest U.S. beef imports, which was illegitimate as it failed to gain support from more than 50 percent of unionists.

Lee is also accused of taking an active role in blocking the transit of imported U.S. beef from a warehouse near Seoul in the same month.

He also organized dozens of sits-in at E.Land's Homever last year, obstructing customers' access to the retail store, according to the prosecution.

He is also alleged to have held unauthorized gatherings in June last year to prevent a law on temporary workers from coming into effect and occupying public roads during a protest against a Korea-U.S. free trade deal in November.

Also today the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) published following new report for the WTO General Council review of the trade policies in S. Korea (Geneva, Oct. 8 and 10, 2008): 

☞ Trade Union Rights Restricted in S. Korea


Related:

☞ YTN Fires Unionists Opposing New Head (K. Times, 10.7)
☞ YTN조합원 33명 부당징계… (KCTU, 10.7)

본문

Last month the Napali Prime Minister (PM) Pushpa Kamal Dahal (aka "Chairman Prachanda", CPN-M) has said his party's long term projection is to establish a People's Republic in Nepal..

Now, at least since the last week his coalition "partners" in the Napali gov't, especially the bourgeois NC and the CPN-UML (*), are intensifying their attacks against the PM (incl. the CPN-M) and his ideas, as it has been reported in NepalNews:

10.4.:
Maoists not committed to democracy: Koirala

Nepali Congress president Girija Prasad Koirala has accused the Maoist leadership of not showing commitment to democracy.

He even went on to accuse the Maoists of betraying Nepali people by speaking of establishing of People's Republic in Nepal.

In a tea-party organised by NC's Kathmandu-9 committee on the occasion of Dahain festival Saturday morning, Koirala said he would not take rest from the 60-years long fight for democracy.

He said his party would continue to work for peace and political stability in the country.

Accusing CPN (Maoist) of creating obstacles in the process of writing the new constitution, Koirala claimed that the Maoists had come thus far by accepting his proposal.

http://www.nepalnews.com/archive/2008/oct/oct04/news04.php

10.5.:
People's Republic unacceptable to UML..

CPN-UML leader Ishwor Pokharel on Saturday said that imposition of "People's Republic" order will not be in the interest of the country, warning that his party will start a strong agitation if the Maoists try to deliberately force it in the country.

Pokharel, who was speaking at a press meet in Pokhara, further said that the Maoists should not try to thrust the system upon the people just because it looks good for them.

Saying that it is both impossible as well as unacceptable to merge all Maoist combatants into Nepal Army (NA), Pokharel said that only those Maoist fighters who meet the recruitment standard of the army should be inducted into the NA.

http://www.nepalnews.com/archive/2008/oct/oct05/news03.php

NC leaders step up rhetoric against Maoists

A day after Nepali Congress (NC) President Girija Prasad Koirala charged the Maoist leadership of trying to undermine democracy, his close aide in the party, vice President Ram Chandra Poudel, unleashed a blistering attack on the Maoist party, saying the former rebels are "looking to end democracy" in the name of establishing a 'People's Republic'.

Poudel also said the populist slogans brought one after another by the Maoist party are a "ploy to end democracy once and for all," and that NC would strongly revolt against such move.

He was addressing party cadres at a reception hosted by the NC Kathmandu
constituency-4 on the occasion of Dashain festival.

Accusing the Maoists of creating a delay in the drafting of a new constitution, he said that NC is "very serious" regarding the issue and would play an instrumental role for the same.

Speaking at the same programme, another NC vice-president Prakash Man Singh charged the Maoists of trying to force a totalitarian system by implementing People's Republic order in the country. He said that now is the time for the party to go to the people and show its real standing.

Both Koirala and Poudel and few other NC leaders have stepped up rhetoric against the Maoists and the government it leads especially after PM Dahal's remarks that his party has lost faith in parliamentary democracy and wants to establish a People's Republican set up in the country.

The NC duo's almost daily diatribe against the Maoists has increased speculations that the NC is attempting to depose the current government by teaming up with the UML, the third largest party in the CA.

The possibility, however, was somewhat allayed after former general secretary of UML, Madhav Kumar Nepal, on Saturday said that the present government must be allowed to complete its full term in office

http://www.nepalnews.com/archive/2008/oct/oct05/news07.php

* The CPN-UML (Unified "Marxist-Leninist"!!^^) is actually THE social-democratic party in Nepal..

본문

In sharp contrast to the (almost) complete absence of solidarity with the expolited and oppressed in North Korea (by the S.K. "left"/"progressive" movement) there has been - during the era of the dictatorships in South Korea - a broad international support for the S.K. struggle for democracy.

And it included solidarity activities with the struggling S.K. working class:

1987 in South Korea female textile workers were involved in a difficult and lengthy strike action against the Flair Fashion factories, owned by the German company ADLER. In solidarity with those women, Rote Zora (*) placed a bomb in the ADLER concern’s head office in Haiback and later followed a night of co-ordinated attacks on nine ADLER branches around Germany. The damages ran up around 35 million DM, i.e. 18 million Euros (**). The action had a crucial importance because the striking women in South Korea won their fight, in that all serious demands were met (in Documenta Magazines: "Feminisms of the times").

1987년 7월 2일, 독일 대사관에 들어간 이리 후레아 패션 노동자 일부가 대사관

현관에서 연좌시위를 벌였다. (Yonhap) 

 
One of Rote Zora's most famous and successful actions came in 1987: While South Korean women workers were on strike against the German owned textile corporation Adler, which was boosting its production due to cheap labor prices in Korea, Rote Zora supported the efforts of the striking women. On one night in June 1987, there was a series of coordinated firebombings directed against Adler chain stores. The corporation soon gave in to the demands of the striking Korean women (in "Resistance Means Attack").

* From 1975 to 1988 within the context of the Revolutionary Cells (RZ), the autonomous women's organization called 'Rote Zora' developed. Although the Rote Zora followed the same fundamental concepts as the RZ, the group was also a radical feminist expression of the women's movement. But the group did not solely focus on women's issues, and the Rote Zora did carry out actions as part of RZ campaigns, for example against the NATO summit in 1982.

** 1 Euro = 1716.30 Won

본문

About two weeks ago The Boston Globe published following "Recent scenes from North Korea" (for more pics and links to journey reports see below):

Related:

☞ 397 pics from N.K. (by Eric Lafforgue)

☞ My Excellent North Korean Adventure (WaPo, 9.14) MUST READ!!!

☞ A little taste of North Korea (Asia Times, 9.27)

본문

The following article, published in today's (reactionary, anti-"DPR"K) DailyNK, is based on an interview (the complete version you can read below in Korean) with Joo Dae-hwan (former DLP representative, now active in the so-called "Social Democratic Solidarity").
Well, of course I've an (likely very controversial^^) opinion about the topic, but you've to wait (possibly until Sunday or so..) for my comment!

Leftists Should Support North Korean Human Rights

 
Since the late '90s.. North Korean human rights.. were considered as belonging to the conservative right wing. To the pro-North Korea left wing, which see North Korea's Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il regimes as more legitimate, 'North Korean human rights' was a taboo subject.

Even now, after North Korea's gruesome human rights record has been thoroughly exposed, the pro-North Korea leftists have kept silent on the human rights issue. However, a courageous person from the left recently rose up to announce, "We must now take an interest in the North Korean human rights issue." Some people even questioned whether or not he is truly of the left.

As a result, the left wingers have called him a "traitor." But regardless, he has spoken his mind at North Korea human rights-related talks without shrinking from the limelight.

Such a hero is joint representative of Social Democratic Solidarity Joo Dae Hwan, previously the party policy committee chair of the former Democratic Labor Party. Representative Joo met with Daily NK on the 1st.

For pro-North Korea leftist figures, an interview with the "Daily NK" is usually avoided at all costs. However, for Joo, the interview with a reporter from Daily NK did not differ much from interviews he has given to other media organizations.

Representative Joo said at a North Korean international conference called "2008 North Korean Human Rights Citizens' Campaign,” held on September 26 that "The left wing of Korean politics has to abandon its double standard regarding the North Korean human rights issue. Meanwhile, the conservatives have come under scrutiny for the possibility that their true purpose may be opposing the North rather than improving human rights."

He criticized further, saying, "The progressive camp has ignored the North Korea human rights issue using all kinds of excuses, while looking on North Koreans’ difficulties unconcernedly. Now, the North Korean human rights issue must go beyond the left and right to the issue of the universality of mankind by becoming less ideological and more depoliticized."

Joo, who acted as the brains of the People’s Democracy (PD) camp within the Democratic Labor Party, is a reproach to his fellow leftists with whom he has lived under the same roof like a family.

Representative Joo cited the reason for the disinterest of the leftists regarding North Korean human rights, "The leftist power was not free in its relationship with Kim Dae Jung. That administration could wait for a reaction from the North, but so did the progressive powers, even though they didn’t have to."

He evaluated this situation, saying, "This was because progressive powers ultimately played the role of assistant to the Kim Dae Jung administration. There was not so much a change in their ideology, but rather, an excess of politics was the issue."

Representative Joo said regarding the Sunshine Policy, "When considering the situation at the time, I do not think that the Sunshine Policy was appropriate. Actually, I'm not even saying that the Sunshine Policy was progressive. A progressive policy has to be one for the North Korean citizens, but Sunshine did not achieve this."

He added, "From a North Korean citizen's perspective, Kim Dae Jung and Roh Moo Hyun, people who could smile with the dictator without concern, are fundamentally unhelpful."

Also, he said, "Goods have been going into North Korea, which accounts for some of the recent changes. Commodities marked with the symbol of South Korea have circulated and businesses such as the Kaesong Complex show the potential of shaking the foundations of the North Korean regime's isolationism."

Regarding the New Left movement Social Democratic Solidarity, which is led by Joo, he said, "We are aiming for a welfare state. Activities will be centered on the perspective of universal human rights which do not get caught up in a nation, unification, and pro and anti-North Korea issues of the New Left movement."

Moreover, he said with regards to differentiating between leftist and rightist camps in the future, "The notion of 'pro-North' and 'anti-North' has to be separated. Only then can society and citizens become developed." He emphasized that "If many people in the progressive camp propose the North Korean human rights issue, it will pose a huge threat to the North Korean regime."

http://www.dailynk.com/english/read.php?cataId=nk02500&num=4130

[인터뷰] “진보진영도 술자리에선 김정일 비난”

주대환 “左는 北인권, 右는 南인권 관심가져야”

한국 사회에서 ‘북한인권’을 우려하는 목소리가 나오기 시작한 1990년대 후반부터 지금껏 이 문제는 오직 보수진영의 전유물로 여겨져 왔다.

더구나 북한 김일성·김정일 정권이 남한 정권보다 더 정통성이 있다고 보는 친북좌파 진영에게 ‘북한인권’에 대한 문제제기는 금기(禁忌)사항과도 같았다.

그러나 최근에 ‘좌파라면 북한인권 문제에 관심을 기울여야 한다’고 말하는 진짜 좌파가 등장했다. 전(前) 민주노동당 정책위원장을 역임했던 ‘사회민주주의연대’의 주대환 공동대표가 바로 그 주인공이다.

친북인사, 좌파인사들이라면 누구나 손사래를 치는 ‘데일리엔케이’와 주 대표가 마주 앉았다. 민주노동당 내 평등파(민중민주 진영)의 사상 이론적 브레인 역할인 해온 주 대표가 북한주민들의 ‘인권’에 대해 말문을 열었다.

좌파가 ‘인권’을 논하면 등 뒤에서 ‘변절자’라는 화살이 날아오는 기막힌 시대, 주 대표의 첫 마디는 의외로 담담했다.

“인권문제에 좌·우가 어디 있습니까?”

주 대표는 “진보진영은 북한인권문제에 대한 이중 잣대를 버려야 하고, 보수진영은 반북(反北)을 목적으로 북한 인권을 다루면 안된다”며 한국사회의 좌·우 모두를 향해 “이제 북한인권 문제는 좌우를 넘어선 인류 보편적 문제로 돌려놓아야 한다”고 주문했다.

현재 주 대표는 ‘북유럽형 복지국가’를 지향하는 사회민주주의연대를 이끌고 있다. 민족문제, 통일문제, 친북·반북문제에 얽매이지 않는 선진국형의 좌파 활동을 펼치는 것이 그의 계획이다.

그는 “앞으로 ‘좌파’와 ‘우파’를 구분하는 데 있어 ‘친북’이냐 ‘반북’이냐는 문제는 분리돼야 한다”며 “그래야 정치도, 사회도, 국가도 발전하고 선진국이 될 수 있다”고 말했다.

[다음은 주대환 사회민주주의연대 공동대표와의 인터뷰 전문]

-진보진영이 북한인권 문제에 침묵하는 이유는 무엇인가?

진보진영은 근본적으로 남한보다는 북한이 민족의 자주성 면에서 우월하다고 생각하는 경향이 있다. 그래서 북한의 웬만한 흠에 대해서는 눈감아 줘야 한다고 생각해왔다.

또, 지금까지 정치․사상적 구도의 문제도 있었다. 보수진영에서 ‘북한인권’이라는 이슈를 선점하면서 진보진영을 ‘친북 또는 반인권주의자’라고 몰아세우고, 진보·중도 연합진영은 ‘평화’라는 이슈를 선점하여 보수진영을 ‘냉전세력․전쟁세력․대결주의자’로 치부해왔다. 이러한 양 진영 간 대결이 북한인권 문제를 과잉 이념화, 과잉 정치화 했다고 본다.

그리고 지난 오랜 동안 진보세력이 김대중과의 관계에서 자유로울 수 없었던 것도 문제다. 진보세력이 김대중·노무현 세력의 2중대 역할을 했다고 해도 지나친 말이 아닐 것이다. 김대중·노무현 세력은 사회경제정책에서는 ‘우파’인데도 공조(共助)했다는 말이다.

정부 여당이야 북한을 직접 상대하는 입장에서 북한의 비위를 맞출 수 있다고 쳐도, 진보세력은 정권을 가진 것도 아니면서 북한에 대한 입장을 정부 여당과 같이 했다.

앞으로 좌파인가 우파인가를 구분하는 데 있어 친북이냐 반북이냐는 문제는 분리하고 떼어 내야 한다. 그래야 정치도, 사회도, 국가도 발전하고 선진국이 될 수 있다고 본다.

-좌파진영 내에서 북한인권 문제에 대한 인식 수준은 어느 정도인가?

진보진영에는 북한인권 개선활동의 필요성에 동의하는 사람이 많다고 본다. ‘사실(fact)’만큼 고집스러운 것이 세상에 어디 있겠나? 인권 상황이 참혹한 북한 현실을 우리 눈앞에서 거듭 확인할 수 있데 누가 뭐라고 할 것인가?

진보진영에서도 북한 현실에 괴로워하는 사람이 많다. 입 다물고 모른 체하는 것이 양심의 가책으로 남아 있다. 진보진영 친구들이 술자리에서는 ‘김정일이 빨리 죽어야 인민들이 사는데’라고 말을 하지만, 공개적인 자리에서는 딴소리를 한다.

현재 북한을 두고 진보와 보수진영의 국론 분열 상태에서 통일이 온다면 위험하다. 서로의 책임을 따질 것이고, ‘너는 그때 뭐했냐’며 서로의 흠을 들춰내는 일도 발생할 것이다.

앞으로 북한인권 문제를 탈이념화, 탈정치화해서 진보진영에서도 많은 사람들이 북한인권 문제를 제기한다면 지금의 북한 정권에게는 상당히 큰 압박이 될 것이다. 결국 보수는 남한인권에, 진보는 북한인권에 더 많은 관심을 가져야 한다.

-햇볕정책에 대한 우파진영의 평가가 야박하다고 생각하나?

햇볕정책도 일면으로는 타당성이 있었던 것은 아닌가 생각한다. 그렇다고 햇볕정책이 진보적인 정책이라는 것은 아니다. 진정한 진보라면 북한 인민을 위한 정책이어야 하지만, 햇볕정책은 그저 평화를 유지하자는 수준이었다. 북한 인민의 입장에서 바라보면 독재자와 손을 잡고 활짝 웃는 김대중, 노무현은 근본적으로 자기들 편이 아니었다.

그렇다고 해서 햇볕정책이 모든 면에서 잘못 됐다고 평가하는 것은 인색하다고 생각한다. 남북한의 체제경쟁이 끝난 이후부터 남한 정부는 북한을 관리하는 차원에서 접근해 왔는데, 지금까지 남한은 ‘주먹은 센데 주머니는 비어 있는 친구가 용돈 좀 나눠쓰자’는 식의 북한을 달래가면서 관리해 온 것이다.

햇볕으로 북한의 두꺼운 옷을 벗기지 못했다는 비판은 옳다. 북한 체제의 변화와 개방이라는 측면에서 보자면 DJ가 햇볕정책을 꺼낼 때 장담했던 것만큼 성과가 없는 것도 사실이다. 신뢰가 쌓이면 설득도 되고, 설득이 되면 요구도 해야 하는 것인데, 지금 그런 상황이거나 그런 방향으로 나가고 있다고 보진 않는다.

하지만, 북한에 꾸준히 물자가 들어갔으니 조금이라도 변하지 않았겠나? 대한민국 마크가 찍힌 물자가 돌아다니는데 변화가 일어나지 않을 수 없다. 또, 개성공단은 지금까지 문 닫고 살아 온 북한 체제의 근간을 흔드는 효과를 만들었을 것이다.

우리가 잊지 말아야 할 것은 북한의 현재 상황은 햇볕이든 햇볕이 아닌 다른 것이든 남한 정부, 정당의 탓이 아니라 근본적으로 김정일 정권의 책임이라는 사실이다.

북한에 대한 지원이 김정일 독재 체제 유지에 도움을 주고 인민에게는 아무런 도움을 주지 않았다는 비판에 대해서는 구체적으로 따져볼 필요가 충분히 있다고 본다. 사실 지금까지 통일부나 남한의 민간교류 단체들은 평양만 다녀오지 않았나? 북한은 철저한 계급 사회이고, 평양과 그 이외 지역은 천양지차(天壤之差), 전혀 딴판인데 그들은 평양의 모습에만 관심을 갖는다. 묘하게도 진보진영은 북한의 특권층과만 대화하고 보수진영이 인민들을 걱정하고 있는 상황이다.

-국보법 폐지를 우파가 주도해야 한다고 주장했는데?

남한에 위협을 가하는 (북한의) 공작, 침투 등에 대해서 국보법이 효과적인 방어수단이 되고 있는가를 따져 봤을 때 별로 그렇지 않다는 것이 첫 번째 이유다. 최근 몇 년 동안 국가보안법 위반으로 유죄판결 받은 사람 몇 사람이나 있는가? 거의 사문화되었다고 본다.

그리고 국보법이 폐지된다고 해도 형법의 ‘간첩죄’ 조항 등이 있어서 반국가적 범죄에 대해서는 얼마든지 대처가 가능하다. 그럼에도 국가보안법은 남한 인권 발전에 어두운 그림자를 지우고 있는 상징적인 존재다. 그러니까 실효는 없으면서 그 부정적 영향은 매우 크다는 것이다. 다른 모든 면에서 우리 사회가 발전한 만큼 이 방면에서도 변화가 있어야 한다.

진보진영 내에서는 국보법에 대한 반감이 상당하다. 뉴레프트(New-Left) 운동을 하는 우리가 진보진영 내에서 ‘우리도 이제 생각을 바꿔야 할 때’라고 말하면, 돌아오는 답은 ‘아직도 국보법이 시퍼렇게 살아 있다’는 말이다. 그들은 근본적으로 바뀐 것이 없다고 생각하고 있다.

그리고 사상의 자유는 원래 자유주의자들이 외쳐야 하는 것 아닌가? 특히 진정한 자유주의자라면 다른 사람의 사상의 자유를 위해 투쟁할 용기가 있어야 한다고 생각한다. 그래서 이미 그 의미를 상실한 국보법에 대해 폐지 목소리를 높여 줄 것을 기대하는 것이다.

국보법 폐지와 조봉암 선생의 복권을 보수진영이 동의한다면 정말 진보진영도 다시 생각할 마음의 여유를 가질 수 있다고 본다. 또, 뉴레프트 운동 세력의 입지가 넓어질 수도 있을 것이다. 진정성 있는 자유주의자가 등장해야 비로소 선진국형 사회민주주의자도 나타날 수 있다.

지금처럼 내가 북한인권과 관련한 토론회나 세미나에 간다고 하면 내 주위에서는 비아냥거리는 사람이 많다. 우파진영과는 대화가 안 된다고 생각하는 것이다. 이용만 당할 것이라고도 말하기도 한다. 나는 뉴레프트 진영에서 진행하는 행사에도 보수진영 인사도 참여해주기를 희망하고 있다.

-뉴레프트 운동을 전개하고 있는데, 어떤 방향성으로 활동을 진행하고 있나?

뉴레프트 운동은 우리나라가 나가야 할 방향으로 북유럽형 ‘복지국가’를 상정하고 있다. 이런 관점에서 의료민영화, 전기․가스․상하수도의 민영화 등 복지의 근본을 훼손하는 정책에 대해 반대하고 있다. 그리고 종부세와 상속세를 줄이려는 위험한 감세 정책도 비판한다. 오히려 공공 서비스를 더 발전시키고 복지 제도를 확충해야 하고, 부동산 보유세와 상속세, 소득세의 증세가 필요하다고 본다.

특히, 뉴레프트 운동은 민족문제나 통일문제, 또는 친북․반북이라는 대립구도에 스스로 얽매이지 않으려고 한다. 이런 문제에 얽매여서는 진보도 발전할 수 없을 뿐만 아니라 나라 전체가 발전할 수 없다고 생각한다.

선진국의 좌우파가 정책 대결을 벌이듯이 우리나라에서도 좌우파가 일관된 철학으로 경제·사회정책에 대한 논의를 전개하고 정책적 대안을 제시해야 한다고 본다. 사회민주주의연대는 그런 준비를 시작하고 있는 것이다.

 
http://www.dailynk.com/korean/read.php?cataId=nk06100&num=62249

본문

Today the S.K. ruling class and/or their militarist hardliners celebrated the (f.. stupid) "Armed Forces Day" with the "biggest military parade in a decade" (K. Times).