2251개의 게시물을 찾았습니다.
From y'day afternoon until the evening around 150 homeless people/activists and their supporters celebrated this year's Homeless Memorial Day in front of Seoul Stn.
Well, this was the plan... But Seoul's city administration, dominated by (fundamentalist) Christians, had another plan and wanted to offer a very special Christamas gift: they sent the riot cops...
For a while the cops observed the scene and then they attacked the ceremony and arrested 12 homeless activists.
Yeah, that's truly "Christian love"(^^)...
...usually celebrated (at least) during Christmastide, according to the Christian (two-faced!!) propaganda anyway...
For more information:
☞ 노실사
Yesterday afternoon in downtown Seoul: About 3000 people, mainly activists from labour, solidarity and resistance movements, "celebrated" the end of Lee Myung-bak's (aka "MB") 2nd year in office. MB won the presidential election in December 2007.
This year's "highlights" of MB's presidency (also referred to as dictatorship!!) - the Yongsan Massacre in January, the bloody suppression of the SsangYong strike in summer, the exacerbated oppression of trade union/KCTU activities and so forth - were reasons enough for the activists to demand in no uncertain terms "MB OUT!!"(*)...
* Sorry, but when (only) 3000 people in the S.K. capital (Seoul's population: approx. 12m.) are protesting against the "MB dictorship", f*cking MB will - most likely - just think/say: "I don't give a shit about that!"...
More pics from the event you can see here and here!
Related reports by: ☞ KCTU ☞ VoP ☞ TiN
Seoul's ongoing/planned mad and destructive "Redevelopment Project" got its next - allegedly "defenseless"(*) - victims: (likely) thousands of (mainly very poor) street vendors, as today's (bourgeois) Korea Herald reports:
Vendors driven off the streets of Seoul
Seoul City recently stepped up efforts to clean itself of disorderly street vendors, and those making their daily living in the streets seem to be paying the price.
As part of its ambitious plan to redesign the city, Seoul has come up with a set of reinforced guidelines on the street vendors.
All street vendors who sell food, accessories or other goods have been obligated to standardize their cart to a fixed size, costing around 3 million won ($2,381). Though district offices financed 1 million won per seller, most had to loan the remaining amount.
"These expensive standard carts do have better facilities, but the heating and lighting are way too costly, so are not of much use to me," said Kim Sung-joo, a snack vendor in Jongno.
From next March vendors will also be charged for occupying the streets, based on the city's attempts to convert the under-the-table street selling to an official business category.
"The very reason many people would start off a vending cart in the streets is because they cannot afford the rent for a real store," said Kim Jeong-gwon, an accessory vendor in Gangnam.
"Charging further fees to such people literally means depriving them of their means of living."
In some of the districts, an entire cluster of such street vendors were moved from their original location under the city's orders.
Last month, more than 100 street vendors along the Jongno streets were moved to the backstreets near Changgyeong Palace under Seoul's city redesigning project.
"Street businesses naturally form in the most crowded districts," said Kim.
"The city cannot naively expect that they will do just as well when moved to another neighborhood. This is not like rearranging one's things in one's room."
Though Seoul City is actively promoting the Changgyeong Palace area as a new tourist spot, it is still short of weekend visitors, and most of the sellers are thus experiencing a drastic sales deficit, he said.
Well-to-do Gangnam-gu has also removed most of the street vendors from its main streets over the past year.
The Gangnam subway station district, located between the neighboring Gangnam-gu and Seocho-gu, shows a clear contrast.
"The Gangnam-gu side of the street is almost clear of all street selling, especially the food-selling carts," said Lee Myung-jin, 26, a frequent visitor in the area. "Most of the carts and stalls have been either removed or moved to the inner streets."
Some were also forced to move further away from the Gangnam station crowd.
"I am now making less than half the money I used to make around Gangnam Station," said a snack seller, who was shoved to a relatively secluded spot in Nonhyeon-dong, outside of the commercial quarters.
City officials, however, remain determined to maintain a clean and orderly streetscape.
"These randomly placed street businesses do not only disturb pedestrians but also are threats to public safety as they may block police cars or fire trucks in emergencies," said an official of the Dongdaemun-gu office.
Citizen responses varied.
"I understand that Seoul, as a metropolitan city which it came to be, needs to have certain rules and orders in the streets, and thus cannot just neglect these vendors," said Lee Jin-young, a 31-year-old public servant.
"It is nevertheless quite irresponsible for the city to force the consequences on these working class people and not to offer sufficient support."
Some also said they missed the coziness of the street foods and goods.
"Seoul is not all about modernity and its 'other sides' should also be respected as they are," said Park Ji-hye, a university student.
"I personally feel deprived of my souvenirs, with all the tteokbokki carts driven away from the streets."
Whereas some others agree with the city's plans, in terms of safety and city designs, it is the general opinion that an active support is needed to prevent street vendors from additional debts.
http://www.koreaherald.co.kr/NEWKHSITE/data/html_dir/2009/12/11/200912110028.asp
* because "they're just on the bottom end of the society", as the S.K. ruling class assumes... But they (the current "rulers") should remember following:
☞ 2003.11.30: THE BATTLE OF CHEONGGYECHEON
Once again:
An End of KCTU-KFTU "Love Affair"
It's only recently that the S. Korean "progressive"/labor movement - once again(!!) - hailed the "rosy future" of the imminent "Unified KCTU-KFTU Struggle Front", confronting (and bringing down!!) the LMB regime...
But (surprise, surprise!!) only moments later the KFTU (leadership) - once again(!!) - demonstrated that it's more interested in the collaboration with the ruling class...
The end of the KCTU-KFTU "honeymoon" came about after Jang Seok-chun, head of FKTU, broke the tenuous partnership with the KCTU, and went alone into last-minute negotiations with rulers (gov't and "employers") last Friday(*).
And of course - once again(!!) - the KCTU, especially its current chairman Lim Seong-kyu, called the FKTU (leadership) a "betrayer" and canceled the KCTU-KFTU "honeymoon"...
Two days ago The Hankyoreh asked Lim Seong-kyu: "Is your agreement to cooperate with FKTU officially over?"
And he replied: “Yes, it is. FKTU had not disclosed to us, their partner, any information about changes in the umbrella union’s existing position prior to FKTU Chairman Chang Seok-chun’s press conference on Nov. 30. It appears its leadership also tricked FKTU’s members on the ground. Since FKTU had previously voted to hold a general strike and burned its bridge with the current administration, we had thought they would continue to cooperate with us through the middle of this month, even if they were conspiring, however, they changed their direction quite suddenly. It seems the FKTU leadership intends to follow orders from the Lee administration.”
* Related stuff by K. Times (12.7):
☞ Turn of Events Leaves Labor Drive Out of Air
After the KRWU Strike:
The Ruling Class Seeks for Revenge!
Ever since the Korean Railway Workers’ Union (KRWU) called a "temporary" end to its strike, the KORAIL capitalists, the Lee administration and ruling Grand National Party (GNP) have been speeding up their suppression of unions. Undoubtedly police and prosecutors will be acting quickly with their investigation of the KRWU leadership.
Ever since the KRWU called off its strike, members of the Lee gov't have been acting like the victors in some war. The GNP, in particular, has not held back. At a meeting of ruling party officials last Friday, there was an outpouring of remarks about how the KRWU had raised a white flag, that those responsible for the strike must be held civilly and criminally liable...
The prosecution is seeking the arrest of union leader Kim Ki-tae and 15 other key members, on whom the court earlier issued a warrant.
"Though the strike ended, we will act upon legal principles and continue the investigation on those who are responsible for it," said a prosecution official last Friday.
A total of 197 union members, including Kim, were indicted over the strike and 884 were dismissed, Korea Herald reported y'day.
"At this point, it looks as if they want to bring not just the KRWU but also the entire labour movement utterly to its knees" The Hankyoreh (12.05) fears and outlines the possible Next steps for the KCTU.
Just (four hours ago) Yonhap reported following:
Rail unionists call off strike
The embattled union of Korea Railroad (KORAIL) called off its longest-ever strike Thursday after severely crippling the nation's rail services for eight days.
The KORAIL union called a news conference Thursday evening to announce that its striking members will immediately return to work "in order to prepare for a fresh struggle against the government and the KORAIL management."
The union then urged the management to resume dialogue in a "faithful and reasonable" manner.
Related reports:
☞ Rail unionists set to call off strike: officials (K. Herald)
☞ KRWU shifts tactics and returns to work (Hankyoreh)
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