CINA

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And only three hours later

Street Vendors Will Join Candlelight Vigil! (*)

Just yesterday Korea Times published an article related to the issue of the permanent repression of street vendors:

Conflicts Between Seoul City, Street Vendors Resurface
 

Seoul city's plan to clear the streets of venders hit a snag after video clips of the brutal beating of a female vender in her 60s, by a young security guard hired by the city, were released on the Internet.

The street vender of "kimbab,'' or rice rolled with dry seaweed, was brutally beaten. She is seen barely able to sit up, wiping blood from her lips in a UCC posted on Web sites. It is titled "Violence Against Grandmother Selling kimbab.''

The incident took place last Saturday in central Seoul where tens of thousands of citizens flocked to oppose the controversial U.S. beef import.

Police later learned that the assailant was one of the security guards mobilized by Seoul city government to run the candlelit vigil smoothly. Police summoned the 23-year-old to question him over his motivation for the attack.

The Self-Employed Workers' Association, an association for street venders, Tuesday urged the government to clamp down on still rampant security guards' assaults against them. "The assault on the kimbap grandma is just the tip of the iceberg,'' it said in a statement.

In fact, the conflict between street retailers and mobilized guards is not new. Such violence has long been witnessed on kiosk-packed streets. The government and police are also well aware of the existence of violence in the "clean-up'' campaign. But the problem is the authorities even plot and wink at such violent incidents in many cases, the association said.

According to the association, 400 security guards hired by Gwangmyeong city government forcibly dismantled numerous street shops in the city's downtown on April 3. Most affected shops were run by those in their 60s or older. Though it was conceived that the shop runners were feeble enough, the guards pushed them down and even kicked them, leaving two with bone fractures.

"Most guards are gangsters or convicted criminals,'' said Shin Hee-chul, 32, a kiosk runner in northern Seoul. "They are paid around 50,000 won up to 100,000 won in exchange for clearing a requested district.''

The so-called "Security Guards" at "work".. 

..attacking/terrorizing street vendors (Uijeongbu, 2004)

Police are too lenient toward them. "Some of them are arrested on charges of doing overdue violence but they are soon freed,'' Shin said.(**)

A police officer said "Of course, we question them when the need arises. Most of them committed only minor violations.''

Shin stressed this conflict between street venders and security guards would continue unless the government legalize street shops.

http://koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2008/05/117_24489.html

** Bullshit!! Usually they are backed, sometimes even supported by massive presence of riot cops!!

Related articles:

☞ Uijeongbu's Street Vendors are Fighting Back (2004)

☞ Street Vendors' Struggle.. (2007)

☞ 2003.11.30: The Cheonggyecheon Battle

*****

* Reports about y'day's event (updated 5.23):

☞ "대국민담화? 대국민염장지르기!" (통일뉴스, 5.22)

☞ [5.22] 촛불문화제 ("다함께", 5.23)

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  300 DAYS of E-LAND STRIKE 

(Docu by: comrade "Hong Gil-dong..", translation by: seoulidarity)

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Despite the plan of the S.Korean ruling class/gov't to increase the oppression against the workers/resistance movement (*) thousands of activists celebrated with rallies and a mass demonstration y'day in Seoul the Int'l Struggle Day of the Working Class:

More impressions from the events you can see here:

☞ "MayDay 2008", photo report (노동의소리)

☞ KCTU Photo Report #1

☞ ... #2

☞ ... #3

☞ ... #4

And already the night before (4.30) the annual Workers' Struggle Culture Festival took place in Seoul/Sangam-dong, in front of the HomeEver Department Store, where labour union activists are in strike since more than 300 days (E-Land Strike!):

More impressions about the event you can see here:

☞ "430 Struggle Culture Festival", photo story (노동의소리)

* Likely (^^) on the occasion of the Int'l Struggle Day of the Working Class the S. Korean ruling class, here represented by the "National Police Agency", presented  yesterday a very special gift to the resistance/worker's movement! (according to Korea Times, 5.01):

25 Labor-Related Bodies Blacklisted as 'Illegal'
 

The National Police Agency (NPA) has included an anti-FTA alliance, major umbrella labor unions and even a political party on a list of what it called illegal, violent organizations, and will ask the government to discontinue subsidies to these groups.

The NPA said Thursday that it classified 25 organizations as illegal ones for leading violent protests and instigating public unrest.

The list was made at the request of the Ministry of Public Administration and Security, the police headquarters said.

Among the organizations on the list are the Korean Alliance Against the KORUS FTA, the Democratic Labor Party, the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions and the Korean Metal Workers' Federation.

Any organization classified as illegal cannot benefit from national subsidies.

 
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2008/05/113_23490.html

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Dear comrades in BD(Masum, Biduth, Anwar..), Nepal(Radika, Samar, Kajiman..) and all our comrades in S.Korea.. I wish you a revolutionary and excessive(!!) "Mayday" (i.e. the Struggle Day of the Int'l Working Class)!

착취와 억압이 없는 그날을 위해 투쟁!

다른 세상은 가능하다, 당신이 그걸 원하고 그것을 위해

투쟁한다면 투쟁!!

Dear comrades, do you remember(^^)??:

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In baffling frankness the S.K. bourgeois daily newspaper Korea Times wrote last Friday(4.25) about the - likeley(^^) - real intentions behind the US-SK FTA:

US Seeks Power in Asia via FTA With Korea
 

The United States is seeking to prevent Asian countries from pushing for closer economic cooperation while excluding Washington, a senior U.S. government official suggested Thursday.

"We will not stand idly by while others talk about Asian economic groupings that would exclude the United States," Alexander A. Arvizu, Deputy Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific, said in a statement.

He stressed that the free trade agreement (FTA) with South Korea "when it is ratified" will play a significant role in hampering other countries' movement toward an Asian economic bloc.

"The KORUS FTA, the first U.S. FTA in Northeast Asia, demonstrates conclusively U.S. resolve to remain engaged in the economically vibrant and strategically critical Asia-Pacific region," he said.

Arvizu reported the strategy to the House Foreign Affairs Committee Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific, and the Global Environment, saying the U.S. government's policy shows that it will continue to work aggressively to "expand U.S. access" to growing Asian markets.

He said the KORUS FTA will be one of the best ways to promote U.S. economic interests "not just in South Korea" but throughout East Asia, adding, "Will they take the same steps South Korea has taken through KORUS to create a more foreign-investor-friendly environment?"

He predicted that the Korea-U.S. agreement will create new opportunities for U.S. workers, farmers, ranchers, businesses and entrepreneurs across the country.

Upon approval by the legislatures of both countries, he said, the FTA will open South Korea's growing market of 49 million consumers to the full range of U.S. goods and services, from agriculture to autos to telecommunications services.

He also commented on Korea's full opening of the beef market to U.S. products. "Safe, affordable, high-quality American beef will soon be back on Korean tables."

This agreement will be a huge boost to our ranchers and producers who have waited patiently to regain access to the South Korean beef market, the official added.

 
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2008/04/116_23149.html

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  300 DAYS of E-LAND STRIKE 

(Documentary by: 숲속홍길동同志)

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Before yesterday, 4.19, at least 400 people - labour union activists and their supporters - gathered in Seoul's Sangam-dong to "celebrate" the 300th day of the E-Land Strike with a small culture festival. And as usual when striking E-Land workers are taking the streets, even it's announced to the "authorities", the rally/festival was attacket by the riot cops and 5 activists were arrested.

More about the event you can read/watch here:

☞ 이랜드 300일 행사 마찰...5명 연행돼 (VoP)

☞ Video: 이랜드투쟁 300일... 기습 매장진... (OhmyTV)

☞ [4.19] Photo report (노동의소리/채널만호)

☞ 이랜드300일-투쟁은 끝나지 않았다 (로젤루핀)

☞ [4.19] 뉴코아-이랜드 파업 투쟁... 문화제 ("다함께")

Last Thursday(4.17) the "left"-liberal daily newspaper Hankyoreh wrote following:

E-Land labor union marks 300th day of strike

The labor union of E-Land marked the 300th day of its strike on April 17. With no breakthrough in sight, Kim Gyeong-wook, the head of the E-Land union, expressed a sense of frustration, saying, "The E-Land dispute will only end if the union dies or the company dies."
 

Since the strike began in June, the union and management have met several times, but the two sides have failed to narrow the gaps in key issues such as job security for part-time workers, rehiring of fired union workers and punishment of striking workers. Intermittent negotiations between the union and management were stalled again since early April.

On June 30, 2007, a day before the law governing irregular, or part-time, workers came into force, some 500 unionized workers at E-Land launched a sit-in strike and occupied one of the company's discount outlets, the Homever store in Seoul's Sangam-dong. At the time, E-Land workers said, "The company laid off a large number of part-time workers and changed their status to outsourced labor to avoid the law that requires an employer to convert part-time employees who have worked for more than two years into regular workers." Before the strike, E-Land laid off some 790 part-time workers, mostly female cashiers, in retail affiliates such as Newcore and Homever.

The E-land case has been cited as an example of how companies can exploit a loophole in the law by forcing part-time workers to work on temporary contracts through an outsourcing company. Labor groups and civic organizations had strongly criticized E-Land for laying its part-time workers off and a campaign to boycott E-Land stores was launched ahead of the Chusok Thanksgiving holiday shopping season. The union has continued to hold sit-in strikes and street demonstrations. In retaliation against such actions, E-Land fired some 30 union officials late last year.

 
One of the thorniest issues in the E-Land dispute is whether the company plans to guarantee job security for part-time workers. The union has called for the company to guarantee job security for part-time employees worked more than three months. But, the company said it will guarantee job security for part-time employees worked more than 18 months, citing a prior agreement with the union. "The company recently changed employees worked more than 18 months to permanent part-time status, but it was aimed at taking credit to itself because it was part of the agreement with the union," Kim said.
 

Although the strike has continued for 300 days, the government is still "holding its hands behind its back," saying "it should be resolved by the union and management voluntarily. The government won't demand a concession by one side or the other for an early resolution of the dispute," an official of the Ministry of Labor said. "That means the Labor Ministry won't present a proposal of arbitration," the ministry official said.

Last year, former Labor Minister Lee Sang-soo offered to meet with the two sides for "intensive negotiations." However, current Labor Minister Lee Young-hee has emphasized that the two sides "should voluntarily resolve" the dispute.
 

Kim Seong-hee, the director of the Korea Non-Regular Labor Center, said, "for the government to play a role as a fair arbitrator, it should present an alternative plan for the reinstatement of part-time workers and workers who have been fired. In the context of setting a standard for measures for non-regular workers, it would be desirable for a pan-governmental task force to resolve the E-Land dispute. Civic organizations and the government could act to resolve the dispute by forming a fair framework for arbitration."

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300일...
이랜드 노동자는 계속 파업투쟁 중입니다!
19일 토요일 낮 3시 홈에버 상암점으로!

("Agit-prop" video by: 숲속홍길동同志)

우리 모두를 위한 투쟁!!

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In and around Seoul's Dongdaemun Stadium was the place for thousands of street vendors who earned here the money to feed their famelies. After the expulsion of the street venors in the Cheonggyejeon Street just inside the stadium at least 900 street vendors stall's got a place.. But now it's over!

Today, despite the fierce resistance by hundreds of street vendors (it was smashed by hundreds of gangsters (backed by large units of the riot cops), hired by the Seoul Metropolitan Gov't and the construction companies, i.e. the Construction Mafia), the complete destruction of the stadium started. And hundreds of families lost their basis of existence - likely forever!

Dongdaemun Stadium Fading Away (Korea Times, 4.16)

The Seoul Metropolitan Government Wednesday began to dismantle the Dongdaemun Baseball Stadium, which will be replaced by Dongdaemun Design Park and Plaza. However, the demolition work met with strong protests from hundreds of street vendors who have used the site for years.

The removal of the nation's first modern sport stadium and the construction of a new park and plaza is part of the city government's plans to have new iconic structures in the capital.

Builders had clashes with street vendors and five were injured ― one of them, aged 60, had a severe injury to his eye.

From the early morning, hundreds of vendors blocked the main gates to the stadium with vehicles. Beginning around 1 a.m., the clash continued until 6 a.m. when 500 construction workers broke down the gates and entered the stadium.

The stadium was built in 1926 under Japanese colonial rule and it has since served as a popular venue for sports events, mainly high school baseball.

The city government plans to transform it into a large park with design facilities to help the district specialize in fashion, as it does now with an array of shopping malls and markets.

http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2008/04/113_22636.html

Related contributions:

☞ 16일 새벽 동대문풍물시장 침탈 사진 (4.16)

☞ The bulldozer triumphant (2007.12.21)