2251개의 게시물을 찾았습니다.
India: People's Struggle Against the POSCO 'Empire'
Last Saturday, heavily armed police units and locals - mostly women and children - clashed in the Jagatsinghpur district of Orissa. The cops used batons, tear gas and fired rubber bullets, injuring over 100 people while hundreds of local villagers and some supporters were attempting to block POSCO-India from beginning the construction of the planned steel plant.
☞ 100 injured in police action at Posco-India project site (The Hindu, 5.16)
The background: The South Korean multicorporate enterprise POSCO, one of the largest producers of steel in the world, is well-known in India and, not precisely because “steel loves nature” as stated on the cover of its presentation file and still less because it loves people.
In 2005 POSCO signed an agreement with the Indian government for the establishment of a steel plant, a port and mine prospecting in the Eastearn State of Orissa. Since then, tens of thousands of people have been opposing the project because of the huge negative impact it will have on the villagers.
The area where POSCO is proposed to be allotted the mines spreads over 6000 hectares of primary forest. These forests are inhabited by a wide variety of wildlife and flora.
Furthermore, the tribal communities which form 74 per cent of the population in the surrounding area are completely dependent on these forests for fuel, fodder, fruits and medicinal plants. The water springs in the area provide water for drinking as well as irrigation...
In August 2007, a large group of people belonging to various political parties and social organisations protested at the doors of the POSCO offices, protected by a large contingent of police force. The demonstrators, that included many women, raised slogans against the Korean company and blamed the government for facilitating the Posco steel project in Jagatsinghpur district, despite the opposition of displaced villagers.
In October 2008, a resolution signed by more than 100 organizations and people, most of them academics, condemned the increasing state of repression in Orissa against the peaceful resistance of people to the anti-people POSCO steel Project. Despite the state’s increasingly repressive regime, the struggle had reached a new height, with more local residents, especially women, joining in and more democratic voices from all over the world condemning the state for acting in denigration of Constitutional values and human rights, and in favour of corporate interests. The level of repression reached its highest point when the president of the anti Posco movement, Abhay Sahu was jailed...
But the struggle against POSCO's steel project goes on!
Well, this year's 'May Day' will be celebrated in Seoul, beside KCTU's traditional mass rally (3p.m., Yeouido, 'Culture Plaza', a Struggle Rally will be held at 1p.m. in front of the Kukmin Bank, near the Nat'l Assembly Complex) for the first time in history with an alternative event, called "New Town Culture Party"...
It will be in and around the Duriban Squat Site... For more info, please check out http://cafe.daum.net/duriban
The following piece is an e-mail interview by gabriel kuhn with dopehead zo:
Korea, history of anarchism up to the present
Q: Can you tell us a little about the history of anarchism in Korea?
A: there is a dispute on when was the first time anarchism was introduced into korea. some activist-academics argue that the first introduction of anarchism to korea dates back to 1880s. but anarchist-like professors argue that in early 20th century anarchism was introduced to korea and some korean anarchist groups emerged in 1910s.
korea was annexed by imperialist japan and became its colony in 1910.
because of that, early anarchist movement or the first phase of the anarchist movement in korea and east asia put heavy emphasis on fighting imperialist japan and gaining independence.
the first stage lasted until the fall of imperial japan in 1945. in the first stage, anarchist in korea and east asia fought various ways against the japanese tyranny.
thanks to anarchist studies, researches and hard works in late 1990s, we came to know that there were 3 differnet streams in the indepence movement in korea; nationalist, socialist and anarchist approach.
in the past, we learned that there were only TWO streams in the independence movement, nationalistic and socialistic approach.
nothing was written or mentioned about the presence of the anarchists in 1910-1945 era in the official education process or official history, so anarchist movement had been ignored and veiled for a long time.
it was not until 1990s when several academics started writing articles and published books about the first stage of the anarchist movement in korea.
in 1910-1945 era, anarchist approach was distinguished from nationalistic or socialistic independence for its emphasis on direct action by ordinary korean people in gaining independence whereas nationalists emphasized foreign relationships and getting help from big western countries like the US, and socialists prioritizing on soviet union's support in the elite-leading vanguard-party-like tactics.
making various anarchist villages in Manchuria to serve as anarchists strongholds in fighting japanese militarits was also done by korean anarchists,
making international anarchist networks of peoples across china, taiwan, korea, japan and southeastern asian countries was another ways of fighting japan's rule in the region.
gurilla fights in underground or open anarchist groups also existed in korea and japan to disribute anarchist ideas and encourage people to involve in the movement.
but this anarchist approach of independence movement became harder and harder becuase of the political situation in the late 1930s and 1940s.
as you know you had to choose either fasism (japan, italy, germany ) or us-led capitalst national state.
in colonial korean society, it became virtually impossible to stay the third way.
so around 1940s and 1950s not many anarchists survived in korea and china.
during korean war (1950-1953) every surviving anarchist in north or south korea had no option but to lay low and no space was allowed for radical anarchism.
there were just two choices; soviet union style socialism or right-wing authoritarian nationalism.
the situation lasted that was unchanged until 1980s when massive people started joined pro-democracy movement in south korea.
only in 1990, we started to have and enjoy some political freedom for the first time in entire korean history.
so during 1945-1990, it was a dark age for the anarchist movement.
anarchist survivors had to stay undergound doing not much or making farming communties in rural areas in south korea.
in north korea no anarchist survived after 1948 when authoritarian socialsts took over and dictatorship is still going on there.
the third stage of the anarchist movement started early 1990s in south korea when books were published and various anarchist theories introduced again (vast amound of anarchist works were introduced in 1920 and 1930s but many of them were lost and forgotten, and even worse burnt, hidden, and intentionally destroyed by authoritarian north and south korean governments)
the third stage of korean anarchist movement is still going on in various issues and areas, such as peace movement, human rights issues, women's movement, environmental movement, labor movement...
Q: Korean workers, peasants, and students are known for very dedicated resistance. Is there an anarchist component in these struggles?
A: when progressive people's movement restarted back in 1970s in south korea, it was predominatly organized by marxists and pro-north korean socialists.
and basically it was still the case until late 1990s.
majority of the people's movement was influenced by marxism, leninism and pro-north socialists.
it's begiing to chage from early 21st centuray when people got sick of authoritarian elements in the progressive socail movement and anarchism became popular among people.
large portion of the so-called organized sector of the people's movement is still under different kinds of marxism, but more and more people are leaning towards non-authoritarian, anti-authoritarian, or automomous ways.
although not many people identify themselves with anarchism or anarchists, and yet i notice surprisingly that many people show and favor anarchist tendencies in social movement.
the majority of the dedicated resistance movement do not want to lable themselved with one ideology, but one thing for sure is that misunderstandings and misconception of anarchism become smaller.
in my eyes, many dedicated korean activists are anarchists, but because of some reason they don't openly associate thier action with one specific ideology or political tendency.
Q: The division of Korea is still a big political topic internationally. What are anarchist positions on the issue?
A: it is not a big issue in anarchist movemeent in korea.
reunification is a huge issue in general and maybe it's on the top agenda for ordinary politicians. but as you see, anarchists are not interested in becoming a one, big, strong nation process. we don't want to be a part of the political process.
when you talk about reunification, capitalists get busy calculating and their profit and making sure they make more money by exploiting poor north korean people, and nationalists repeatedly say it is a humane thing for this devided two countires becoming one nation.
well. screw all that. we anarchists think differently.
we are busy making our own autonomous, self-sufficient communities all over the country, constantly creating anarchist spaces, resistance strongholds, movement bases by squating like i mentioned earlier in Duriban squat building in seoul right now and in 2009 Yongsan Massacre area, at the same time fighiting the state violence, police brutality, capitlists oppression and all kinds of discrimination...
we will keep making these autonomous communities, spaces and expanding them so that people will need no more state apparatus.
Q: How are relations to anarchists from Japan, China, and Southeast Asia?
A: we have maintained close relations with japanese anarchists.
each year dosens of anarchists visit each other.
for example, in 2008 about 10 korean anarchists and activists visited japan to join various anti-G8 actions there and in March this year, more than 10 japanese anarchists visited korea to talk, establish and strengthen solidarity for later this year's anti-G20 demostration.
we constantly communicate one another via internet and conduct solidarity actions together such as the yongsan masscre issue in throughout the entire year of 2009, and Nike Japan trying to convert the public miyashita park in Shinjuku area of Tokyo into their private, commercial park issue this year.
as far as we know, since there are not many anarchists in chinese main land, not many relations going on between korean and china, except a few western anarchists in china who come to korea and get in touch.
in taiwan and hongkong, i know sevral anarchists and we do things together..
Q: What are the most important areas of activities for anarchists in Korea today? Are there different currents within the anarchist movement?
A: i don't know if there ONE single most important area in anarchists in korea today.
there are many areas and issues that individual anarchists are interested in.
one area is making urban autonomous communities organizing efforts in seoul and other major cities, and also going back to rural areas to establish self-suuficient villages.
in peace movement, anarchist presence is strong.
in human rights movement, many dedicated activists show strong anti-statest, ant-authoritarian tendencies.
and in minorities movement and anti-discrimination movement, anarchism is a major element.
a new, different current in anarchism emerged from cultural movement from late 1990s. music scene (punk rock and etc) embraced DIY culture and it became politicized.
cultural activists were inherenetly anti-authoritarian from the begining and so it was natural for them to show anarchists tendencies in many genres.
but still they don't want to label themsleves as anarchists, which does not matter at all. what they actually do matters, not their lables.
Q: What is your future vision for anarchism in Korea - and beyond?
A: for anarchists in korean society, we see tons of works to be done.
korea is a very male-dominated society. overcoming patriarchy is a big issue.
the state also does not allow its citizens to actually excercize political freedom when it comes to criticizing government and large companies (Samsung, Hyundai, etc), when necessary, it even takes fascist-like drastic, violent measures to oppress civil society. so we have a long way ahead to go to actually completly change korean society.
we have to fight every minute of our time in each area and in each issue to curb, break and smash capitalist state system.
in doing so, we learn every day that the simple anarchist principles really help.
we live our future today by making anarchist communes real in our everyday struggle.
http://www.ainfos.ca/en/ainfos23840.html
AFP (4.04) reports from the (former) frontline of the S.K. class struggle:
Peace breaks out on S.Korean factory floors
Eight months ago, Ssangyong Motor's car plant looked like a war zone as unionists occupying the premises battled riot police with catapults, firebombs and steel pipes.
Today the mood is altogether more co-operative, and both sides are seeing the benefit.
The 77-day occupation, in protest at mass redundancies designed to save the loss-making carmaker, ended only with a police raid featuring commandos rappelling from a helicopter in a hail of missiles.
More than 100 people were hurt, dozens were arrested, the redundancies went ahead and the firm's financial troubles deepened with the lost production.
"There was no winner: neither management nor labour could get what they wanted," said Ssangyong Motor union leader Kim Kyu-Han, a moderate elected in the wake of the strike.
Workers at the country's smallest automaker also cut ties with the militant Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) -- part of a trend in South Korea's labour movement, which was once known for its militancy.
Some members of the KCTU and its less hardline rival the Federation of Korean Trade Unions (FKTU) announced in March they had quit the umbrella groups to launch a "third way" union alliance.
Labour Solidarity for New Hope has recruited 52 unions with 120,000 workers in less than a month. The FKTU and the KCTU have 800,000 and 650,000 members respectively, government data shows.
The unions of Hyundai Heavy Industries, the world's largest shipbuilder; subway operator Seoul Metro; and KT, the top communications firm, are leading the new alliance.
They see the established umbrella groups as too violent, too politically biased or too bureaucratic.
"The era of unions resolving problems by force has gone," Seoul Metro union leader Chung Yeon-Soo, a KCTU founder and now co-chairman of the new grouping, told AFP.
"The paradigm of the labour movement -- based on the 19th century industrial structure -- no longer fits the business environment in the 21st century."
Radicalism has its roots in the 1970s and 80s, when unions led the pro-democracy movement against military-backed dictatorship.
Attitudes began to change during the 1997-98 financial crisis, which triggered tens of thousands of redundancies in a country which once prized lifetime employment guaranteed by strict labour laws.
Kim Jeong-Han, of the Korea Labour Institute, a research body, attributed militancy partly to a poor social welfare network and a still-inflexible job market.
"In South Korea many workers still think that if they get laid off, they will be unable to find other jobs. That's why they become desperate and often radical."
But Kim said more and more unionists realise working conditions cannot improve just through a strike.
At the Ssangyong plant in Pyeongtaek, 70 kilometres (40 miles) south of Seoul, union chief Kim said the mood has changed.
"Many KCTU unionists called me a traitor and some still do, but I don't care," the 41-year-old said.
A framed photo of him and other union leaders staging a sit-in at the plant in 2006 hangs on his office wall. "I put it up on the wall a month ago so as not to repeat the same mistake," Kim said.
Underneath is a blanket, pillow and sleeping mat in case he has to work late and sleep in his office.
"I used to sleep out for a strike. I sleep here these days to spend more time cooperating with management to pull the company out of this crisis," he said.
Kim said executives often pay him unscheduled late-night visits to discuss business problems -- unimaginable in the past -- and even bring pizza.
Productivity has risen sharply. The average manufacturing time for each vehicle fell from 87.9 hours before the strike to 48.7 hours afterwards, said company spokesman Choi Jin-Woung.
"Workers are all desperate to help save the company from the crisis," said Oh Tae-Soo, 42, as he worked on the assembly line turning out Kyron sports utility vehicles.
Ssangyong Motor ended up laying off over one third of its total 5,000 staff. "The job cuts could have been smaller than that if we had avoided the loss-making strike last year," said Kim Choon-Sik, a deputy manager.
After the bitter dispute ended, labour and management at Ssangyong announced a policy of no industrial disputes. In March they rallied together from the factory to Seoul to seek financial aid.
"If our salaries could rise with a general strike, we would walk out. If we could improve working conditions by jabbing our arms in the air at a union rally, we would do so," said union leader Kim.
"But it's not true."
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iKOGQ2rUO4t5N-suxVKRmE3yLEGg
KCTU's "Directives for 2010" (the English version was published just y'day):
The KCTU will be at the forefront to stop labor oppression and protect democracy
Labor rights are essential for democracy
Korea’s Ministry of Labor denied the registration of the Korean Government Employees' Union on March 6, for the third time in three month. Not just for KGEU, the ministry ordered the Korean Construction Workers’ Union (KCWU) to revise their union establishment report, and the Korean Transport Workers’ Union (KTWU) and Korean Teachers and Education Workers' Union (KTU) got such orders, too. Almost half the members of the KCTU are about to be illegalized.
Labor rights constitute the essence of democracy. The Korean government’s plot to destroy labor unions is, therefore, an attempt to tramp the democratic constitution. In this sense, the KCTU’s struggle is not just for protecting union members’ rights but also for reviving the suffocated democracy throughout the society.
We will struggle and negotiate at the same time
The KCTU set 2010 major action plans and directives in a recent the Central Executive Committee meeting. The KCTU has set maximizing negotiating power through powerful struggle as the main objective for 2010. That explains why it has decided to participate in the Time-off System Deliberation Council, while the Korean Railway Workers Union, the Korea Cargo Transport Workers' Union, the Korean Construction Workers’ Union and other major organizations determined to unfold an all-out struggle, which includes a general strike. The Korea Metal Workers’ Union has also decided to mobilize support in specific periods.
The government, ruling and opposition parties, and the Federation of Korean Trade Unions agreed to revise the Trade Union and Labor Relation Adjustment Act in a back-door negotiation last December to prohibit companies from paying full-time union officials and allow multiple unions at the workplace-level with many restrictions posed on their right to bargain. The KCTU Central Executive Committee remains firm against the revision and committed to its re-amendment. The Committee has reaffirmed that its participation in the Deliberation Council was aimed at maximizing negotiating power and rescinding the revised laws. The powerful massive struggle will back up the negotiation processes.
The KCTU will hold a rally that will be attended by about 10,000 unionists on March 27. By April 20, the Federation plans to complete its preparation for a general strike, which is scheduled to take place in late April. Moreover, beyond fighting for wage increase of union members, the KCTU will unfold a nation-wide wage struggle for a minimum wage increase and other measures so that all people can secure basic rights to live.
We will judge the Lee gov't and the ruling GNP at the local election in June
Across the nation, people aspire to judge the current government and the ruling party. The coming local election in June will be the judgment day. The KCTU will focus our resource to meet the nation-wide aspiration. We strongly believe that it is our mission to deal a blow to the ruling party in the election. In that sense, we will play a central role in gathering all democratic, progressive forces through solidarity, coalition, unity and integration.
We will organize People’s Action to counteract G20 in November
The Seoul G20 Summit in November should be a stage for people and workers around the world to express their indignation about the unfairness of globalization, not a ceremony to celebrate governments’ achievements. G20 is an antiquated attempt to return to neo-liberalism in an era of crisis it has brought about. Koreans refuse to be spectators to this ceremony. During the G20 period, the KCTU will do everything in our power to stage a massive anti-neo liberalism struggle that will gain attention of people and workers around the globe. To this end, we will prepare to hold People’s Action and be a leader of a great transformation.
Government turnover in 2012 is an important mission to KCTU
Lame-duck effects have already started for the Lee government and the June local election will prove that. In 2012, when the next prudential election is scheduled to take place, we should revive democracy by defeating the current powers. The KCTU will be at the forefront to protect democratic society against unilateral politics of the current government and the ruling party. In that process, we will show our union members and Koreans how the KCTU can meet their aspirations.
Insha'Allah!!!(^^)
S. Korea's "rulers" are to open new possibilities to escalate their ongoing struggle against the Korean Teachers and Education Workers’ Union(KTU) by using some kind of (well, let's say) psychological warfare, as yesterday's conservative bourgeois newspaper JoongAng Ilbo reported (of course not without an element of spitefulness):
Names of teachers in KTU to be released
The Korean Teachers and Education Workers’ Union has been a thorn in the side of local governments with its alleged political activities. But now the table might be turning.
Last Friday, the Seoul Central District Court dismissed a request by Education Minister Ahn Byong-man that the names of the union members not be made public. After the announcement, the Education Ministry said it had sent a list of the union member names to the National Assembly as requested.
Grand National Party lawmaker Cho Jeon-hyeok, also a member of the National Assembly’s education, science and technology committee, received the names. “By April 20, we plan to reveal the teachers’ names, their schools and subjects [they teach] on the Internet so that teachers and students will be able to find out about them easily,” he said.
Previously, students and parents were able to learn the total number of the union members through the Web site www.schoolinfo.go.kr However they now will be able to check whether the students’ teachers are associated with the union. This development has sent shock waves through the union. Officials say around 340 members have dropped out of the union since the court’s dismissal of the Education Ministry’s request. Shortly after its legalization in 1999, the union saw a rise in membership, reaching its peak in 2003 with 93,860 members. Since then, however, the number has dropped. By March of last year, the union had 69,530 members, or 20 percent of all teachers nationwide.
Since all civil servants and educational workers in Korea are banned from collective political activity, the union has said its members are simply exercising their rights to free speech.
Last year, the union held an anti-government protest and released a statement saying that the Lee Myung-bak administration was endangering democracy. Last month, police discovered that 120 union members and the Korean Government Employees’ Union had registered as members on the Democratic Labor Party Web site.
Police said they suspect the DLP collected around 17 billion won from the teachers and other civil servants.
Currently, the union is resisting the court’s ruling. Um Min-young, spokesman for the union said that the union will apply for another injunction against GNP lawmaker Cho to stop him from revealing member names. He said that doing so would be an invasion of and a breach of individual rights.
One union member said that “the ideological conflict that will surface in schools after the revelation of member names is unimaginable” adding that revealing the names of members is a means the government is using to destroy the union.
Many parents and school principals however, welcomed the new plan. Chae Hyo-jin, 41, a mother of a child in high school said that she “will be able to prepare for any circumstance [regarding her child’s education] only when I know the political tendencies of the teachers.”
Lee Nam-yeong, head of the teachers’ cooperation division at the Education Ministry said, “I doubt that a movement [by parents] to refuse letting a teacher [educate their children] will surface, but this new revelation will make it possible for parents to check what kind of education their children are getting.”
http://joongangdaily.joins.com/article/view.asp?aid=2918516
Today's Hankyoreh is reporting the following:
Gov't employees fired for KGEU launch ceremony
MOPAS is banning all KGEU activities in an effort to prevent the union from functioning
The Lee Myung-bak administration has decided to dispense heavy-handed punishments to the government employees who attended the launching ceremony of the Korean Government Employees’ Union (KGEU) and a rally of union leaders on March 20 and expel union leaders who actively participated from public office. The KGEU said the launching ceremony is an event that has been held annually since 2003, and that the Lee administration is misusing its authority to hand out heavy punishments without asking questions in order to repress government employee unions critical of the government.
The Ministry of Public Administration and Security (MOPAS) said Wednesday that KGEU, which had its foundation notification documents returned on two occasions by the Ministry of Labor, had violated the law by pushing though with a launching ceremony after issuing protests. MOPAS said it has made the decision to fire 18 union leaders, including 13 headquarters heads including KGEU Vice Chairman Park Yi-jae (an employee at Masan City Hall) and Secretary General Ra Il-ha (an employee at Anyang City Hall). It also plans to punish all government employees who attended the rally after confirming their identities. Union Chairman Yang Seong-yun (an employee of Seoul’s Yangcheon-gu Office) was fired by Seoul City Hall in November of last year for violating the legal ban on civil servants engaging in collective actions by taking part in a rally to “condemn government repression of government employee unions” in July of the same year.
MOPAS regards the KGEU as an illegal group and is not allowing any activities to take place under that name. Lee Song-ok, head of MOPAS’s Civil servant Association Policy Division, said MOPAS plans to block KGEU branches from establishing offices and said union offices currently using the KGEU name must take down their signs. It also banned government employees from hanging banners or posters with the KGEU name, distributing so-called “propaganda materials” using the KGEU name, or holding picket demonstrations using the KGEU name. If the union homepage is run under the KGEU name, it will be blocked at offices. If a government employee does violate one of these regulations, MOPAS has decided it will levy up to 5 million Won ($4,384) in fines in accordance with the Labor Union and Labor Relations Mediation Law. By banning all activities under the KGEU name, the ministry has virtually rendered the union unable to function.
In response, KGEU spokesman Yun Jin-won said the Lee Myung-bak government’s attempt to kill the government employees union has reached an extreme level. Yun said a launching ceremony is a right of the union, and to regard this as illegal and severely punish participants is unjust. In response to MOPAS’s decision to designate KGEU as illegal, Yun said KGEU is not illegal, but rather a union currently preparing to be founded. He said the union filed a suit on March 9 in an administrative court to overturn the Labor Ministry’s atypical decision to return KGEU’s foundation notification documents, and until the court issues a decision, the union is legal.
The notification system was created as part of a system to recognize that workers were forming unions as part of their Constitutionally-guaranteed rights. No one is required to obtain permission from the government to exercise his or her Constitutional rights, and prior to the Lee administration, notifications of new unions have been accepted, as long as there have been no serious problems.
Meanwhile, the Labor Ministry, which twice returned the KGEU’s foundation notices in December of last year even though the notices are not supposed to undergo fierce scrutiny, returned its foundation notification documents a third time on Wedensday, saying KGEU could be disqualified because previously fired employees and duty managers are eligible to sign up and participate.
http://english.hani.co.kr/arti/english_edition/e_national/412231.html
Related article:
☞ Gov't to dismiss unionized civil servants for illegal rally (Yonhap, 3.24)
Last Thursday the S. Korean gov't "warned firm action against a rally scheduled by an outlawed public workers' union, calling it 'an illegal collective action.'", according to Yonhap (3.19). "The government will deal sternly with civil servants participating in the rally in accordance with the law and principle, having concluded that it is an illegal collective action," the Ministry of Public Administration and Security(MOPAS) said in a statement. "Anyone found to have participated in the rally will be punished without exception." a MOPAS official announced.
But despite this implicit threat by the LMB administration more than 600 members of the now-united Korean Government Employees Union (KGEU) hold last Saturday their launching ceremony at Seoul Nat'l University:
And now - surprise, surprise!! - the gov't will retaliate, likely mercilessly:
MOPAS announced y'day, “The launching ceremony ... was in clear violation of Article 66 of the Public Official Act and Article 58 of the Local Government Public Official Act, which bans collective action.” And it added, “MOPAS will issue a strong response in the interests of maintaining law and order.”
For more info please check out LabourStart!
Related report:
☞ 정부 봉쇄 뚫고 전국공무원노조 출범 (KCTU, 3.21)
Related:
☞ No progress in bridging gender gap (K. Herald, 3.03)
☞ Gender equality in S.Korea remains in a plateau (Hankyoreh, 3.04)
From yesterday's Hankyoreh:
Police and Prosecutors Begin Union Attack
Members of the Korean Government Employees Union (KGEU) and Korean Teachers and Education Workers’ Union (KTU), who issued emergency statements, stand ready but bewildered at the charging police officer and prosecutor, who says, “You better get ready for the fight ahead!”
The police officer goes on the attack as he targets the teachers with a Lee Myung-bak administration-led investigation.
A total of 69 members of both organizations were issued police summmons on Jan. 25 for allegedly joining and paying (membership)dues to the Democratic Labor Party (DLP).
Meanwhile, a sign taped to the prosecutor’s back reveals that they have actually been hired as thugs to investigate. Observers are saying that the leaders are being targeted by the Lee Myung-bak administration in an attempt to paint the recent not-guilty verdict over KTU’s emergency statements last year in political colors.
http://english.hani.co.kr/arti/english_edition/e_entertainment/401298.html
A (daily updated!!) collection of related articles you'll find on LabourStart!
PS:
AFAIK: the DLP is just a product of the KCTU! And KTU, KGEU are KCTU members^^
The DLP, according to Wikipedia: "The Democratic Labor Party is a Left-wing... party in South Korea... It was founded in the effort to create a political wing for the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions..."
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