CINA

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Following critical, controversial article (*) about the current anti-S.K.-US FTA movement/struggle I found several days ago on Jinbonet. Yesterday Jae-young ("marc") wrote a kind translation in summary about it.

Well, here it comes:

Organization for Building a Party for Liberation of Laborers (OBPLL: not official name) criticized that current way of the anti-KORUS FTA movement is fraught with petit bourgeois ‘nationalism slogans.’ Subsequently, they are contributing to the dismantlement of dynamic force of anti-KORUS FTA movement struggle by making obscure the frontline of laborers.

The title of the document by OBPLL is “Let’s struggle for the right of laborers to live, not for the protection of national interests.” It made it clear that “urging people to fight for the protection of national interests or our economy and industry is just shuffling the direction of our struggle and is only a delusion of the middle class which believes that they can join the side of Korean capitalists under the concept of the nation.

It also pointed out that such anti-KORUS FTA movement fraught with nationalism slogans “has just been yelling toward the sky in neglect of Korean capitalists’ class which is the very target to be attacked, and in the meantime KORUS FTA was signed, now making us face this worse situation where we are being forced to allow the FTA.”

OBPLL explains that the reason why most Korean capitalists except for agricultural and few industrial sectors welcome the KORUS FTA come to a settlement is that “they are sure that they will have the chance to increase their profit and wealth with the help of KORUS FTA.” It suggested an outlook that such thing will be possible since the way of restructuring is widely opened by the external shock so that they will be able to freely lay off the laborers and fill the vacant positions with contract workers.”

It analyzes that Korean Alliance Against KORUS FTA is led by the middle class civil movement force which is a group of nationalist ideology.

It also points out that delusion and ideology of nationalism was distributed among the laborers in general by the medium of the leaders of KDLP and labor union participating in the Korean Alliance Against KORUS FTA.

It emphasized that it is time for the laborers that they should throw away the nationalistic ideology and slogans and step forward to fight against FTA systematically and collectively under the slogans of their own demand such as “Smashing the restructuring!” “Desperate protection of the right of laborers to live!” “Abolish the irregular worker system!”

Influenced by this document by OBPLL, theoretical disputes around the issue of coming presidential election including KORUS FTA are expected to seriously begin among both major parties, PD (People's Democratic) and NL(National Liberty).

My simplified summary (once again):

* ☞ 한미FTA 반대투쟁 '범국본'은 노동자 외면하는 민족주의 집단, 민노당 민주노총도 노동자 투쟁동력 갉아먹는 기능하고 있다

Related article:

☞ FTA protestors hold joint meeting, notch up efforts (Hankyoreh, 4.14)

PS:

For yesterday organizations such as DLP, KCTU, Da ham-kke etc.. called for a "massive" protest (actually just by a "candlelight-culture festival") against the S.K.-US FTA...

..and just imagine: There is a protest - and (nearly) nobody is participating (**):

Source of the pics: Da ham-kke('All Together')

** Please remember 4.07: "Nearly 6,000 hold rally to demand scrapping FTA with U.S." (Yonhap)

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THE N-S KOREAN UNIFICATION - JUST A "GOOD DEAL"(^^)

"An report estimated that it would cost North Korea 39.7 trillion won (approx. US$ 42.7 billions) during the first 14 years of reform and development." according to an article published 4.11 in DailyNK. (read the entire stuff here)

Yeah, so hurry up with the unification!! Because, perhaps later it will be a little more expensive. Right now it seems that the S.K. capitalists will have to spend just "peanuts" for to realize the N-S unification..

Well, just to be a little more serious: The reunification of East and West Germany was/is still f.. expensive!!

Even East Germany (the former GDR/German Democratic Republic) was almost a "Red Economy Power" (so a report of the West German TV/WDR/ broadcasted in the early 1980's) after the reunification in 1990 Billions of D-Mark/Euro were spent - of course paid by the ordinary (in the beginning West German) tax payers. Already in 1995 we estimated that at least US$600 Billion were spent for the unification until that time.

The bourgeoise German daily newspaper FAZ (Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung) wrote nearly three years ago (2004.9.19) that the "costs - so fare - for the reunification with 1,5 Trillion (yeah, you read well: 1,5 TRILLION!!!) Euro are higher than expected.."

Once again: in the 1980's the GDR was a kind of economically "well" developed country. Ha, for example: after I was deported in 1985 from the East to the West I saw so many products (in more ore less good quality, such as "stereo music centers", washing mashines ect..) "Made in GDR" in West Germany's shops (BTW.. the same products in the East never we were able to buy..).

And now North Korea/DPRK: "one of the poorest countries" in the world.. The main parts of the (former) industrial basis isn't existing anymore.. A kind of infrastructure: not existing.. Lack of electricity.. Nourishment problems for large parts of the population.. Etc..

OK, later more about it..

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Well, I hope you'll have a nice party!!

☞  MWTV/이주노동자의 방송

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A try to reply..#2

One of the most disputed points of the S.K.-US FTA is the negative effect for the S.K. agriculture, especially the issue of rice.

Already in autumn 2002, I had the possibility to join for the first time a peasants' rally in Seoul(about 200,000 of them demostrated in Seoul's Yeouido) I thought that especially the rice production in S.K. will have no future. On this rally, but also later when I had to pass the countryside, I saw only middle aged people. For what I know, their children/grandchildren are mainly refusing to follow the path of their parents/grandparents. Simply they have complete no interest to spend their life in the rice fields. They only want to move to the big cities, go to study and/or later "earn a lot of money"(^^).
But this development - if my reflection was/is right(eh~ I'm not sure..) - will lead to the death of the S.K. rice production. Sooner or later. Whether with or whithout S.K.-US FTA.

In my opinion there should be the demand (by the farmers, but also the supporting movements) that the gov't is helping (for example finacial) to create alternatives on the countryside. Perhaps there are a lot of alternatives, beside the rice production, to make the life on the countryside attractive even for younger people. Organic agriculture - payable also for the "ordinary" people, kinds of eco-tourism... Anyway.. whatever..

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A try to reply.. #1 

First of all - my question: was there any mass movement against S.K.-Chile FTA?
Right now: is there any opposition movement against the planned S.K.-E.U. FTA? Against a (likely) S.K.-China FTA???
Well, that's a question.. Hopefully someone can answer me!

In my opinion as long as there will be capitalist ruled societies there will be stuff like the S.K.-US FTA! And we aren't able to avoid it without a real (active) mass movement against it. And for what I know.. in S.K. there isn't a real active mass movement against S.K.-US FTA.

And that's the reason why organisations such as DLP are "able" to treat with "topple the Roh Moo-hyun gov't", because this call isn't with any consequences, because no-one will follow the call in reality. Everything what they're talking is just BLABLA!!

But in my opinion there are possibilities to fight against the negative results of S.K.-US FTA.

1. For example there should be a complete ban of any genetically modified organisms(GMO). And the USA are very "famous" for their GMO..

2. FTA means free movement of capital (and of course the capitalists). But there isn't any right for a free movement of the "ordinary" people. The capital has any right to search for places where it can earn maximum profit, but the "ordinary" people, who only can sell their working capacity/labour power.. So, like the capital the "ordinary" people (i.e. the working class) should have the right to search and find places where they are able to "sell" their only "capital"(i.e. their working capacity) as expensive as possible, where-ever it is possible.

Tomorrow I'll try to continue it..

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Just few days ago "Moon Sung-Hyun, leader of the DLP.. declared "If the government signs the FTA on March 30 despite popular objections, we will start a fight to topple the Roh Moo-hyun administration." (*) 
Moon also said "President Roh is acting like a dictator. Our history proves how dictators come to a miserable end, so we will certainly win the fight." (VoP, 3.30)

And what's happen now - eh~ what was happen y'day??

Nearly 6,000 hold rally to demand scrapping FTA with U.S. (Yonhap)
 
Thousands of South Koreans gathered in Seoul on Saturday, calling on the government to scrap the recently signed free trade agreement (FTA) with the United States.

There were no reports of any violent clashes between the protesters and police as of 5 p.m., but the police warned bystanders to exercise caution.

Rally organizers had anticipated that over 6,000 people would attend the rally, but the exact count of participants was not yet available.

The police had banned the protest rally, citing violent outbursts at previous gatherings and hazards to traffic.

"Instead of blocking the anti-FTA rally in advance, the police decided to arrest (those responsible) if the rally gets out of hand," said a police official, asking for anonymity.

The protesters, mostly farmers and civic activists, began marching toward the Seoul city hall from Daehangno, a theater district in northern Seoul, shortly before 5 p.m., causing a major traffic jam in the downtown area...

This is the first major gathering against the South Korea-U.S. FTA since the trade pact was signed at the beginning of this week, after nearly 10 months of negotiations.

The police are also on alert because a 44-year-old farmer, suspected of shooting three neighbors with a rifle, has warned his relatives that he will commit suicide by setting himself on fire at Saturday's gathering.

The suspect, identified only by his surname Lee, allegedly shot three neighbors, killing one and critically wounding others, while quarreling over the free trade agreement on Tuesday, according to the police.

More (Korean) reports about y'day's demonstration:

☞ "한미FTA 타결은 무효다!" -서울 도심 한미FTA 무효 촉구 대집회 (P. Times)

☞ "제2의 87항쟁은 한미FTA 무효화" (Tong-il News)

☞ ..한미FTA 전면무효 범국민대회 "투쟁 끝나지 않았다" (VoP)

☞ 7일 오후 전국 동시다발 반FTA 범국민대회 (OhmyNews)

Related articles (mainly by the S.K. bourgeois media):

☞ Trade deal to cement Korea's security relations with the U.S. (K. Herald)

☞ FTA a boost to Korean economy

☞ Seoul drafts plans for FTA-damaged sectors

☞ A Day in the Life of Post-FTA (K. Times)

☞ Gov't documents reveal trade-off on textiles, GMC (Hankyoreh)

☞ Korea to Open FTA Talks With EU in May (K. Times)

* In spring 2004 hundreds of thousands of Koreans, actively supported by DLP, Da-hamkke, KCTU..,  tooks the streets to "fight" against the impeachment process against Roh Moo-hyun.

And today DLP etc want to smash the "new dictatorship".. but only with 6,000 people..(??)

Anyway.. Yesterday "marc" requested following: "Please write for Korean people about the necessity of street demonstration until the FTA ratification of Congress and about what you learnt from the past experience on the S.K.'s streets, especially about why the FTA issue is actually the problem of class struggle, rather than that of country-to-country."

Well, I'll try to do it as soon as possible (likely tomorrow)!!!! 

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First of all: Short after the final agreement on the S.K.-US FTA some farmers in Yecheon-gun showed the ruling (exploiting) class - aka the capitalists - a possible cheap way how to solve the problems, caused by S.K.-US FTA - at least on the countryside:
FREE ALCOHOL AND FIRE ARMS FOR PEASANTS!

Just check out Hankyoreh's article:

☞ Farmer kills one, injures two over FTA (*)

But of course there's is also a way to solve the FTA problem in the interest of exploited class:

INCREASING THE PROTEST AGAINST S.K.-US FTA(**)

▶ 일시 : 4月7日(土) 오후2시 (Sat., 4.07, 2pm)

▶ 장소 : 대학로 (Daehak-no/Hyehwa Stn.)

▶ 행진경로 : 대학로(2시) → 종각 → 을지로입구 → 서울시청(7시) (demo to City Hall Plaza)

▶ 진행(안) : 14시 한미FTA 타결무효 투쟁선포대회(민주노총 결의대회)
                  15시 한미FTA무효 범국민대회
                  16시 행진 및 대국민 선전전
                  19시 촛불문화제

Actually the Anti-FTA culture festival (7pm) was scheduled opposite

of the US embassy(^^) - but now it will be on City Hall Plaza..

* Uhuu~ I'm really sorry... for my sarcasm!!^^

** Of course just to protest - it might be not the final solution.. (as you know: THE FINAL SOLUTION - REVO.. ^^)

BTW.. the entire situation right now reminds me of the year 2002, the struggle against the USFK. Especially in fall/winter - the presidential election was near - politicians like Roh Moo-hyun "joined" and used the the protest movement (of course just for their own goals). Perhaps you remember how Roh promissed to change SOFA, "never" he wanted to "support a unjust war/aggression against Iraq", and so on, and so on.. And we all know what was happen just few months later..

The same right now: Even if politicians, like Kim Geun-tae, are behaving soooo progressive - as much as possible - finally they will act like every other "ordinary" collaborator of the ruling (exploiting) class! (eh~ that's just MY opinion!)

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No More Monster Bunnies for North Korea

The fate of 12 German giant rabbits delivered to North Korea is in doubt. The breeder who sent them suspects they have been eaten by top officials rather than used to set up a bunny farm. Berlin's North Korean embassy denies the allegation. One thing is sure: the country will have to find another seller.

A German rabbit breeder who sold 12 rabbits to North Korea to breed giant bunnies said he won't be exporting any more to the reclusive communist country because he suspects they have been eaten.

Karl Szmolinsky, 68, sent the spectacularly huge rabbits, which are as big as dogs, to North Korea late last year and had said in January he might deliver more to assist the country's program to alleviate food shortages through rabbit breeding.

He had been due to travel to North Korea after Easter to provide advice on setting up a breeding facility for the rabbits, which can produce around seven kilos of meat.

But his trip was cancelled at short notice. Szmolinsky said he got a call from a North Korean official last Thursday informing him that the trip was off because the government was unhappy with the way in which a local Berlin newspaper had reported about the deal.

"I think the animals aren't alive anymore. I was due to go and inspect the animals and look at the facility. North Korea won't be getting anything from me any more, they shouldn't even bother asking," Szmolinsky told SPIEGEL ONLINE. "They kept delaying the trip. I would have liked to go."

The North Korean embassy in Berlin denied that the rabbits were dead and said no one at the embassy had contacted Szmolinsky. "The rabbits aren't intended to be eaten, they are for breeding purposes," a spokesman said.

Szmolinsky, who has been breeding rabbits for 47 years, has won prizes for his bunnies. Robert, a 10.5 kilo "German gray giant" that won a prize at a rabbit show last year, was among the consignment of four males and eight females dispatched to North Korea. Robert's son, Robert II, is still safe in his hutch in the eastern German town of Eberswalde.

Szmolinsky said he suspected Robert I and his fellow bunnies had been eaten by top officials and that that was the real reason why he wasn't getting a visa. "That's an assumption, not an assertion," he added. "But they're not getting any more."

Szmolinsky had made the North Koreans a special price of €80 per rabbit instead of the usual €200 to €250. He had said in January that the 12 rabbits, capable of producing 60 babies a year, were being kept in a petting zoo in the North Korean capital Pyongyang pending his arrival.
 

Szmolinsky's deal with North Korea attracted worldwide media coverage and brought him orders from around the world.

He has been in preliminary talks with potential buyers in China, Russia, Cameroon and the United States. "The Russians wanted 400 rabbits, there's no way I could deliver that many," said Szmolinsky, who produces around 90 rabbits a year. "I'm getting a delegation from China in June or July and have been told that I may be asked to go to Shanghai to provide advice."

North Korea's state-run news agency had reported in September that people were being encouraged to breed rabbits for food. The country has admitted to food shortages of a million tons, the United Nations World Food Program said last week.

In the absence of better donor support, millions were vulnerable to hunger, the UN warned. North Korea suffered a famine in the mid-1990s that killed as many as 2.5 million people, and has since suffered chronic food shortages.

It had been unclear from the start how Szmolinsky's bunnies would help given their own voracious appetite for top-quality vegetables.

Source: Der Spiegel, 4.02

Related:

독일 토끼^^ (1.12)

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FROM TEHRAN TO LONDON
M. Ahmadinejad's - aka the New Easter Bunny - Gift

Speaking at a news conference, it was just finished a few minutes ago, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said he will pardon and set free 15 British sailors and marines being held in Iranian custody. "British troops granted pardons and will get presidential amnesty" (Ahmadinejad).

And just few days ago Iranian ("anti-imperialist") student activists were displaying in Tehran very "interesting, imaginative" ideas how to solve the problem:

Related:

☞ Iran to release British sailors (Guardian)

Actually, according to CNN, they are already released and tomorrow they will fly back home.. (4:50 pm, CET)

BTW.. I don't believe the int'l, especially the British and US explanations for the latest developments: the "increasing int'l pressure on the regime in Tehran"(*). I just think that the entire development of the "hostage" (G.W. Bush) crisis - from the beginning until the end - was a perfect PR coup, created by the Iranian gov't.. (eh~ that's just my opinion!!).

* "We still don't know whether the Iranians received something in exchange, secretly, but what we saw openly is certainly significant. British Prime Minister Tony Blair simply threatened Ahmadinejad and his evil state that Britain would adopt harsher measures if the captives are not released within 48 hours.
And there you have it, despite the Iranian arrogance and all the big talk, the Iranian president caved in. Apparently he had no interest in getting entangled in a British military offensive or economic sanctions.", Uri Orbach wrote in his very strange, but also interesting (because it shows the way of thinking in important circles of the ruling class!!) article (☞ Winning war on evil) in the Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth. 

Haehae~ here's just another related article:

☞ US tried to abduct senior Iranian officials (Yedioth Ahronoth/IL, 4.03)

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Two representatives of the US and Korean

capitalist class are finally happy to achieve the..

..S.K.-US FTA (a summary):

1. Both sides agree to abolish about 94 percent of tariffs on commodities within three years after the FTA goes into effect, and scrap all tariffs on traded goods over time.

In the case of automobiles, the U.S. will immediately abolish tariffs on passenger cars with an engine capacity of below 3,000 cc and auto parts. Tariffs on automobiles with an engine displacement of 3,000 cc or more will be abolished in three years.

In return, South Korea will overhaul its auto-related tax scheme under which a flat special excise tax of 5 percent is levied on automobiles. South Korea will also streamline its auto-related taxation scheme.

2. Both sides agree to establish the "Committee on Outward Processing Zones on the Korean Peninsula" which designates outward processing zones on the peninsula under some conditions. Products made in the inter-Korean industrial complex in the North Korean border city of Kaesong are expected to be treated as South Korean-made goods.

3. The United States will immediately abolish 61 percent of tariffs on textiles and garments in terms of its import value, and exclude South Korea's major textile export items such as men's shirts and women's jackets from the yarn-forward rule of origin.

4. Both sides agree to exclude rice on their concession lists.

South Korea will maintain current tariffs on oranges, beans, powdered milk and other imported agricultural products.

Also, South Korea will maintain safeguard measures and a tariff rate quota (TRQ) on such goods as pork, beef and other agricultural products.

5. Both sides agree to establish a trade dispute settlement body.

They also agree to have a consultation prior to inquiries or probes regarding trade disputes, and suspend inquiries or probes if they settle the dispute.

6. South Korea will not open such public services as education and medical care. But it will push to open accounting, law and broadcasting services in a phased manner. Restrictions on Hollywood movies will be maintained, requiring local theaters to run domestic movies for at least 73 days a year.

7. South Korea will not guarantee the minimum price of new U.S. drugs. Seoul will introduce a system that calls for assessing the violation of patents when it reviews applications by local drugmakers for the sale of copied drugs.

8. Both sides agree to establish a body that deals with the Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) issues. But they agree to carry out scientific assessment of any SPS-related risks and carry out technical consultation before the body gets involved in the issues.

9. Both sides agree to allow each other's experts to get involved in setting and ironing out technical barrier to trade (TBT)-related standards.

Also, they agree to inform each other of formulating new TBT-related standards, thus providing each other a chance to come up with opinions on them.

10. Both sides agree to clarify criteria for indirect expropriation in investor-to-state dispute (ISD) cases. The two also agree on excluding "appropriate" state policies such as public health, environment, security and housing price stabilization from indirect appropriation.

11. Both sides agree to introduce a temporary safeguard measure which controls sudden and massive capital outflows in case of financial crisis. South Korea's state-run financial institutions such as Korea Development, Industrial Bank of Korea and Korea Housing Finance Corp. are not on the list of the financial sector's agreement.

12. South Korea will maintain regulations that bar foreign investors from owning more than 49 percent of the country's major telecommunications firms that provide core networks and services.

13. The two sides agree to extend their copyright protection period from 50 to 70 years after the author's death, but the agreement will go into effect two years after the implementation of the FTA.

14. The two sides agree to improve the level of each other's labor-related laws and their implementations. The labor communities in the two nations are allowed to raise issues on the labor laws.

15. The two sides agree to make efforts for high-level environmental protection and abide by environmental laws. The two also agree on not damaging the environment as part of their bid to facilitate trade and investment.

Source: Yonhap (4.02)

Related articles:

☞ U.S., South Korea agree trade deal (CNN, 4.02)

☞ All fired up over Korea-US free trade (Asia Times, 4.02)

☞ Korea, US Strike Historic Free Trade Deal (K. Times, 4.02)

☞ FTA deal reached, future of Korean capitalism (TwoKoreasBlog, 4.02)

☞ USTR continues to push beef/Kaesong products will not enter U.S. (Yonhap, 4.03) ..and finally the same source wrote following today: "Labor groups here on Monday voiced their strong opposition to the just-reached deal between South Korea and the United States to effectively dismantle their tariff barriers.

The groups vowed to launch a campaign to nullify the free trade agreement deal (FTA) and even threatened to attempt to oust President Roh Moo-hyun." (*)  

☞ Civic groups escalate anti-FTA protest (K. Herald)

* Great idea, but what will follow him (Roh Moo-hyun)..???

BTW.. In March/April 2004 many so-called "progressive" groups/organizations, such as All Together/Da Ham-kke, DLP, several in the KCTU organized labour unions etc. took the streets to struggle against the impeachment process against Roh Moo-hyun (Yeah, he's the guy who ordered the S.K. troops to Iraq one year before!!! Just for example..). Now - likely - the same people will fight for to kick him out..^^