403개의 게시물을 찾았습니다.
About two weeks ago (3.16) the New "Progressive" Party (NPP/진보신당) was officially established in SK. Here you can read the first articles about the new party:
NPP's Manifesto on N.K. Human Rights (DailyNK, 3.31)
New Progressive Party (NPP), which is a South Korea's new party and separated themselves from Democratic Labor Party over “pro-North Korean attitude (or pro-Kim Jong Ii),” released its manifesto on North Korean human rights policy, which includes “humanitarian solution of abductees and POWs held in North Korea” and “establishment of inter-Korean human rights negotiation channel.” The movement marks a great leap forward compared to Democratic Labor Party’s stance on North Korean human rights.
The core of NPP’s North Korean policy also includes an “inter-Korean agreement on labor condition,” construction of silver town for the divided families in tourist zones” and “regular reunion of the divided families”
NPP added, in statement, that “in contrast with the DLP, which showed only ignorance and silence to North Korean human rights violation, the NPP declares commitment to improve North Korea’s human rights condition”, and “the new progressive movement will start with criticizing North Korea if necessary.”
An NPP official told Daily NK, on condition of anonymity, that “The new manifesto doesn’t contain any new policy. But, we need to reaffirm our North Korean policy because of recent developments in inter-Korean relations (North Korea Silkworm missile launch and etc.).”
When asked why having been silent on North Korea human rights violation while a member of DLP, the NPP official argued for necessity of the unified Left at that time.
“Democratic Labor Party elected ten National Assembly legislators in 2004 for the first time ever, and then experienced a surge of party membership. The surge, however, was due to mass application of membership by pro-North Korea National Liberation faction or its sympathizers. And it caused alienation of the party leadership from public opinion,” said the official.
Nevertheless, he criticized the Lee Myung Bak Administration’s and the United States’ “North Korean human rights policy, which emphasizes strategic concern rather than practical human rights improvement in North Korea.”
“For example,” he added “inter-Korean Labor Convention symbolizes NPP’s principle that signifies ‘North and South Korean people and laborers,’ rather than the reigning governments of both.”
http://www.dailynk.com/english/read.php?cataId=nk00100&num=3461
Progressives launch new party (Hankyoreh, 3.17)
With less than a month to go before the National Assembly election, the New Progressive Party was officially launched yesterday, as it promised to “redirect the vales of the 21st century toward the progressive bloc.” The members of the newly-formed party bolted from the Democratic Labor Party after the presidential election following an internal feud. Political observers wonder whether the party’s candidates will have enough time to campaign and how the newly-created party will fare in the April 9 elections.
In addition to announcing its formation, the NPP also released its list of candidates for seats up for grabs under the system of proportional representation. The first and second seats were given to Park Kim Young-hee, an activist who advocates for the rights of physically challenged women, and Lee Nam-shin, a former leader of E-Land’s labor union. Also included on the list were Pi Woo-jin, a former lieutenant colonel who is in the process of fighting a legal battle against the government, alleging that she was fired due to her breast cancer surgery, and Kim Seok-joon, a professor and the co-chairman of the NPP. The party is also fielding candidates with diverse backgrounds that include lawyers, civic and labor activists.
Sim Sang-jeong, the director of the NPP, said, “People want us to set up a progressive opposition party that can act as a strong and trusted counterbalance against the Lee Myung-bak administration, which has devastated people’s livelihoods. We will establish a party that can win the parliamentary election this time and give renewed hope to workers and ordinary people."
The new party’s objectives include building peace, a social coalition and a green nation. It is also pushing for the establishment of stability on the Korean Peninsula, assisting small- and medium-sized businesses and the resolution of many other issues related to the welfare of workers and socially-underprivileged people.
As it braces for the upcoming elections, the NPP seems to be trying to differentiate itself from the Democratic Labor Party, from which it broke last month. The feud between the party’s two main factions pitted the National Liberty faction, which places more emphasis on North Korea issues, against the People’s Democracy faction, which was more concerned with labor and other social issues and which has now become the NPP.
At the forefront of the NPP’s leadership are Sim Sang-jeong and Roh Hoe-chan, two high-profile former lawmakers who are expected to wage a fierce battle against the candidates of the ruling Grand National Party in the Seoul metropolitan area. Such popular figures as actress Kim Bu-soen, and cultural critic Chin Jung-kwon, will take up the work of promoting the party, while 12 of those running for proportional representation seats will appeal to voters.
Still, political observers have cast doubt over the NPP’s ability to gain a “meaningful number of seats in the election.” With the election just 20 days away, they worry that the party does not have an enough time to get its message across and appeal to voters. The number of candidates who will campaign in districts across the country was also reduced to 30, from the originally-planned 50. Even party insiders say that they are facing one of the worst situations ever.
A key party official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said, “In the end, the NPP should compete in the elections by appealing to voters with two such high-profile former lawmakers as Sim and Roh. If voters in Seoul give more weight to the balance factor, the two could likely win.” The official’s comments refer to what many see as the primary platform of the opposition United Democratic Party, which currently has the majority of seats in the National Assembly. The UDP says that its candidates, if elected will serve as a means of balancing government authority by keeping the president and his party, the GNP, in check. The GNP, meanwhile, is hoping that the idea of maintaining government stability via the election of its candidates will be what brings voters to its side.
The party official added, “Whatever it may cost, we will produce winners, making it a starting point for establishing a real progressive party.”
Related stuff:
When I was imprisoned in Seoul/Mok-dong Immigration Detention Center - between the end of June until the beginning of August 2005 - a (female) representative of the National Human Right Commission (NHRC) visited us to conduct a "survey" about the conditions and treatment of inmates there. It was a part of a nationwide "survey". And, as the representative told me, it wasn't the first one in the past years.. And despite several "surveys" and reports (to the Ministry of "Justice") before, according to her, almost nothing has changed until that time(*)..
Now the NHRC, according to today's Korea Herald, came to the "surprising"(!!!) realization that the..
..'Conditions at detention centers for illegal foreigners are poor'
Conditions and treatment for illegal foreigners at so-called "protection" centers across the country need to be significantly upgraded, the nation's human rights watchdog announced yesterday.
The National Human Rights Commission conducted a survey of 10 state-run facilities, including those in Seoul, Incheon and Busan, between June and November of last year, through on-site inspection, face-to-face interviews, and written inquiries of those held at the centers. Based on its findings, the commission will send its recommendations to the Justice Ministry sometime this week.
Public calls for improving the conditions of unauthorized foreigners at such sites have become more frequent in the wake of the fire last February at an immigration office in Yeosu, South Jeolla Province, which claimed the lives of 10 foreigners.
"We have surveyed human rights conditions at prisons many times before, but this was the first time that we've taken such an in-depth look at the facilities for foreigners," an official with the commission said, declining to be identified.
The commission said in a press release that facilities at immigration offices are not properly ventilated and illuminated, and that people kept at such centers are not given basic freedom of movement. The foreigners can use medical facilities and can exercise on playgrounds only with the permission of the authorities.
The commission also found that basic items such as underwear, shampoo and cosmetics are not allowed in from outside, and that security cameras installed in each cell may infringe on the detainees' privacy.
It also noted that the inmates are forced to use Korean only when people visit them. In addition, the commission reported that meals are given, without taking into account the individuals' cultural background.
The panel is set to recommend to the ministry that the "protection" of those with illegal status be conducted only if absolutely necessary, as such incarceration could constrain their fundamental rights.
It also called for a legal apparatus to be set up to protect these individuals' rights -- something equivalent to a criminal law -- given the fact that "protecting" foreigners at these centers usually has the same effects as arresting them.
When illegal foreigners are apprehended by authorities, the arrested ones temporarily stay at "protection" centers until the necessary procedures for their deportation are carried out. This "protection" period can last longer when there are issues involving unpaid wages, passport problems, or ongoing lawsuits.
* Following some impressions(^^) of the conditions in Mok-dong Immigration Detention Center in summer 2005:
☞ Mok-dong "Holiday Inn", aka.. #1
☞ Mok-dong "Holiday Inn", aka.. #2
Create one, two, three new "progressive" parties!! (following Che's : "Create two, three, many Vietnams!"^^)
Well, when you read the following reports likely you'll come to the conclusion that - still - the most effective enemy of the political "left" is... the political "left"! (hmm, in my opinion..)
A new progressive party.. (newscham, 2.17/22)
On February 17th, the Democratic Labor Party’s lawmaker Shim Sang-jung officially declared her defection from the party and proposed the formation of a new progressive political party, vowing “to pursue a new path of a truly progressive party.”
Shim held a press conference at the National Assembly and said “I have to confess the dismal fact that the DLP has hit the ceiling that makes it hard to pursue a truly progressive political party and to make the future of progressive politics hopeful.”
About the schedule of the new party, she commented “At first, I suggest a coalition named ‘Solidarity for Building a New Progressive Party’ as a base camp against the Lee Government.” and “It is to be registered before the general election, and the substantial steps towards the formation of the party might be taken after the election.”
In a meeting with key figures of the Equality faction including lawmaker Noh Hoi-chan held on February 13th, a definite timetable of promoting the new party was set up; temporary formation before the general election, then official inauguration. With the timetable, the efforts towards new party would shift into high gear.
“The DLP is not one to defeat, we should reflect on ourselves”
Shim told the reporters “All we need is not a hut. Of course, that might be for the present a shelter from rain and wind but we need a firm house that may takes time and can endure test of the time,” and “this is the only steps we should take, for not repeating the mistakes committed before by the DLP.”
And she added “I’m not scrapping the core of the progressive party, outcomes of the past and passion for the new world, I’m scrapping the old structure of the DLP,” and “I’m not concerned with confrontation against and defeating the DLP.” She seems to want the formation of new party to avoid being seen as a factional scandal.
Shim also leaves open the possibility of coalition with Movement to New Progressive Party led by former DLP lawmaker Cho Seung-soo, saying “We’re ready to be with everyone who seceded from DLP and wants to join a new movement.” But she also added “The failure of the DLP is not committed exclusively by the NL faction. Those who are leaving the party now might not feel free form the failure of DLP. In that sense Equality faction should take their responsibility in not repeating the mistakes by reflecting on the DLP’s experiences.”
She stressed “New party we are to make should overcome the era of DLP and be responsible and accountable for the vision of lone term. Pragmatic approach to the general election cannot be allowed,” and “we have to have discussion with civic movement groups and progressive political groups over such subjects as the value, subjects and practices of progressive politics for equipping us with wider reflections than the DLP.” These might be some of the new party’s foundation statement, which has the new one distinctive from the old one.
Shim also said “I will run as a candidate of the Solidarity for Building a New Progressive Party in general election in April. Principles and directions guiding the party’s nomination for proportional representative will be what I should have applied to the DLP as the chairwoman of the emergency committee.” That is, the new party would woo well-known figures outside the party. She negated the possibility of being nominated for proportional representative herself, pointing out “I consider running as a candidate in my district as the first option.”
Shim plans to determine the party’s frameworks in detail with lawmaker Noh and announce it on February 20th, and officially propose the formation in an open forum.
If the party gets less than 2% of votes and is deregistered, it might suffer a severe political blow. “I have no idea about what result the party will get. Time is not on our side. All I can do is doing my best. That’s what I can say.” said Shim.
The split prompting the KCTU to divide
On February 16, Jun-jin (means ‘forward’), the biggest group in Equality faction, held a general meeting and decided ‘to defect from the DLP and make a new progressive party before April election through building regional committees.’ Defector group Movement to New Progressive is also known to join the Shim’s party, if Shim and Noh agree on founding a new party before the general election.
As Shim has revealed her plan of establishing the new party before the election, the leftist groups would be rapidly reorganized. Since the Jun-jin group has many union members in KCTU, which is so-called Centralists, the conflicts in KCTU between NL faction-inclined group and the Centralists inclined to Equality faction will be fuelled. Former and present leaders of KCTU including vice president Kim Eun-joo, who is known to be Centralist, are reported to declare secession from the DLP. If the KCTU divides, KCTU’s political directive of exclusive support for the DLP loses its substantial meaning.
Responding to that, Shim said “The KCTU’s line of exclusive support for the DLP has already been practically denied by union members in the last election. DLP got only about 3% of all votes,” and “withdrawal of the unilateral political line doesn’t mean negation of progressive labor politics, but that workers should participate in labor politics by themselves.”
Shim is reportedly going to bolt after extraordinary session of the National Assembly in February to deal with the immediate issues like ratification of FTA and special legislation for Tae-an residents. Shim added “Noh would keep steps with me.”
http://www.newscham.net/news/view.php?board=news_E&nid=46468
Related articles:
☞ Division of Democratic Labor Party (Hankyoreh, 2.18)
☞ DLP Destruction is Fault of Pro-N.Korea Faction (Chosun Ilbo, 2.19)
☞ Labor party moderates set to create a new party (Yonhap, 2.21)
☞ 진보신당, 3월 16일 창당대회 개최 (VoP, 2.24)
Some days ago one of my readers/visitors (or whatever..) asked - in connection to my latest contributions about the recent developments in and around the DLP - "Who cares?".. Well, at least the S.K. (bourgeois) media:
Labor Party Likely to Split Into Two (K. Times, 2.14)
The progressive Democratic Labor Party (DLP) will likely split as some lawmakers leading a major faction in the party have indicated they will soon leave the party.
DLP leaders are trying their utmost to patch up internal feuding over a party revamp plan and stop further desertions.
Reps. Sim Sang-jeong and Roh Hoe-chan had a closed-door meeting Wednesday night with about 40 party officials, who support their plan to deprive pro-North Korea party members of their membership.
As the proposal was rejected at a party convention on Feb. 3, they have agreed to create a separate party.
Most participants at the meeting said they needed to create a new party but argued over when to launch it, party sources said.
Some members claimed that they should form the party after the April 9 National Assembly elections because they need to take some time to consolidate the group.
Other members, however, insisted that the new party may not secure proportional seats if formed after the elections.
Sim and Roh, plan to announce their stance on whether or not to leave the DLP and create a new party by Sunday based on the results of the meeting.
Amid escalating speculation over a breakup, Rep. Chun Young-se, who is temporarily leading the party after Sim resigned, is scheduled to discuss ways to stop this with other party leaders next Wednesday.
However, his efforts will not likely stop further mass desertions.
A group of 145 have already relinquished their party membership, fueling the breakup.
The deserters who belonged to the party's Incheon district, said in a statement, ``The three percent of the vote that the DLP received in December's presidential election shows that the people wanted a radical change and revamping. But the party has refused to accept these calls.''
They also forecast consecutive desertion of party members while stressing that they will help create a new progressive party to protect social minorities.
The party which has nine seats in the 299-member Assembly has suffered from conflicts between two major factions since DLP candidate Kwon Young-gill was defeated in the presidential race last December.
The factional feud reached a climax after mainstreamers vetoed the party reform plan, of which a major bone of contention was whether or not to remove people engaged in pro-Pyongyang activities from party membership.
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2008/02/113_18940.html
Related stuff:
☞ Massive Collective Defection from the DLP (NewsCham, 1.23/2.11)
☞ Democratic Labor Party's Strategy of Siding with Kim Jong Il (DailyNK, 2.11)
DLP on verge of split over ideology (Yonhap, 2.04)
The progressive Democratic Labor Party (DLP) is likely to break up as its two main factions have failed to narrow differences over whether to maintain strong ties with North Korea's ruling Workers' Party.
The party's moderate faction, focusing on labor, environment and other issues more closely related to people's livelihoods, is said to be preparing to form a new party. Such a move would end eight years of shaky unity, with the DLP's hard-line faction considered to be the country's sole progressive group free from the regionalism that has dominated the country's politics for the past few decades.
Some analysts say the likely breakup may be a boon to progressive forces trying to make inroads among liberal voters with an image focused on people's livelihoods rather than reconciliation with North Korea. Others say both the DLP and the proposed party may collapse, with neither having enough time to woo voters just a couple of months ahead of the April general elections.
Either way, the fate of the DLP may significantly alter South Korea's ideological spectrum amid a resurgence of conservatism following the right-leaning Lee Myung-bak's landslide victory in the Dec. 19 presidential election.
The DLP on Sunday failed to pass a critical motion to expel members related to the "Ilshimhoe scandal" -- involving a clandestine group rumored to have strong ties with North Korea's ruling Workers Party -- widening the existing rift.
The party's moderate members, who supported the motion to expel the pro-Pyongyang lawmakers, left the meeting room in anger amid rumors they will soon bolt from the party and create a new party of their own.
The internal conflict escalated following the DLP's embarrassing defeat in the December presidential election, in which its candidate Kwon Young-ghil garnered a mere 2.8 percent of the vote.
The initial responsibility fell upon Kwon and the party leadership, which resigned en masse, but the DLP moderates blamed the pro-Pyongyang rival faction, claiming the "anachronistic agenda" had driven away many voters.
The latest rift is not very surprising, considering that the two main factions of the DLP have often been in dispute over their ideological beliefs.
The DLP was established in January 2000 with the support of the National Liberation (NL) and People's Democracy (PD) groups. The two mainstream anti-government student organizations were formed in the 1980s when the country was under the authoritarian regime of Chun Doo-hwan, who seized power in a coup after the assassination of his mentor Park Chung-hee. During Park's 19 years of iron-fisted rule until 1979, the country was transformed into an industrialized nation but it faced criticism over human rights violations.
The moderate PD faction worked mainly on advocating laborer's rights, with many of its members joining trade unions to mastermind industrial actions.
The NL faction, holding a majority within the party, is a pro-Pyongyang group that prioritizes reunification of the two Koreas and focuses on stronger ties with the North's Workers' Party.
The DLP emerged as a major political force in 2004 when it won 10 seats in the 299-seat National Assembly under the proportional representation system, based on its 13 percent of the vote in the parliamentary elections.
It was the first time in South Korea's modern history that a non-region-based progressive party gained significant legislative representation.
However, the situation took a dramatic turn by the end of 2006 following the arrest of five party members on charges of spying for the North, leading to the crushing defeat in the Dec. 19 presidential election last year.
Facing growing pressure from the PD faction to push for a party split, or formation of a new party free of the pro-North agenda, Shim Sang-jung, head of an emergency committee to deal with the election's aftermath, proposed a motion to expel two senior staff members of the NL faction.
These members, linked to the North Korea-related scandal, were convicted by the Supreme Court in 2006 of spying for the North.
The terms "spy" and "pro-North Korea" have particularly strong negative connotations in South Korea, especially among members of the older generation who grew up amid high tension between the Koreas in the Cold War era.
But the NL members voted down the motion on Sunday, nullifying the emergency committee's move.
The NL faction claims that linking voter rejection and the North Korean issue is ludicrous. Asserting that progressivism is an "all-encompassing concept," the group insists that rejecting a single liberal policy like the pro-North agenda is unquestionable and that the party must move on and prepare together for the April elections.
Following Sunday's vote, members of the emergency committee led by Rep. Shim are likely to leave the party, which would cause a leadership vacuum just two months ahead of the elections. More PD lawmakers, including Rep. Roh Hoe-chan, are expected to follow suit.
Some political experts propose that the DLP try to stay away from its pro-North Korea image, but do so together.
"The DLP must change the scope of policy to more genuinely progressive credentials," said political analyst Lee Kyung-hun. "As its name symbolizes, it must work harder on protecting the laborers and the low-income bracket -- now a counterpoint to the market advocacy of right-leaning incoming leader Lee Myung-bak."
Political analyst Im Myung-jin of the Progressive Politics Institute agreed.
"Although it appears that conservatives are currently dominant, the decision to elect right-leaning candidates may simply be due to a lack of a better alternative for voters," he said.
"In order for the DLP to keep hold its position -- which is critical for a healthy ideological debate in the nation -- its members must strive to maintain unity among the various interest groups that support the progressive cause," Im added. "After all, they are all in pursuit of the same goal to improve the lives of workers and the underprivileged. Labor and progressives need to stay on the same page."
Related stuff:
☞ DLP Hardliners Throw Out Reform Attempts (Chosun Ilbo, 2.04)
☞ Labor Party moderates begin exodus (JoongAng Ilbo, 2.05)
Jin Joon-kwon(*):
"From today, the DLP is no more!"
Today's K.Times reported that the..
..Troubled DLP Leader Resigns
In a move that is expected to accelerate a breakup of the Democratic Labor Party (DLP), the party's head stepped down Monday taking responsibility for failing to revamp the party suffering an internal rift.
Rep. Sim Sang-jeong, who temporarily led the party on behalf of the party leadership, resigned as chairwoman of the party's emergency committee over the rejection of the party reform plan during a national convention a day earlier.
As the party failed to settle disputes and narrow the opinion gap in the convention, which party members called the last chance to retain the party, the minority party will likely face a split soon.
``Yesterday, we witnessed that obsolete rules still control the party. I apologize for having failed to meet the demand from the public for party reform and I think I should take the responsibility,'' Sim told reporters at the National Assembly.
Some party members, who shared a sense of need for party reform, are moving to leave the party.
A major bone of contention for the party was whether or not to deprive people engaged in pro-Pyongyang activities of their party membership as part of efforts to shed its North Korea-friendly image.
Mainstreamers within the party, which is more critical toward the United States and favorable toward the North, opposed the plan, while the smaller faction, called the equalitarian group, insisted that the reform is a necessary sacrifice for the party to regain public trust.
In Sunday's convention, 553 of 862 party delegates voted against the reform plan which would have deprived former Vice Secretary-General Choi Ki-young and former Supreme Council member Lee Jung-hoon of their party membership.
The two figures, known as members of the pro-Pyongyang group Ilsimhoe within the party, allegedly met North Korean spies and leaked information on the DLP to North Korea on a regular basis.
Twenty-three members of the smaller faction already left the party and more officials are expected to follow suit over dissatisfaction at the rejection of the reform plan.
Sim and Rep. Roh Hoe-chan are also considering quitting the party soon, party sources said.
Deserters plan create a new progressive party which can complement insufficiency that has haunted the DLP founded eights years ago, party sources said.
Following her resignation, Rep. Chun Young-se, the only Supreme Council member remaining in the party, will lead the party until new leaders are elected.
Conflicts between the two factions surfaced after DLP candidate Kwon Young-ghil was defeated in December's presidential election with three percent of the vote, even lower than that he received in his second run four years ago and that of independent Lee Hoi-chang.
The party's popularity also plunged to a single digits from 13 percent.
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2008/02/113_18469.html
Related:
☞ Labor party crisis deepens (K. Herald, 2.04)
☞ DLP’s ideological feud splitting group (JoongAng Ilbo, 2.05)
* Jin Joon-kwon is a "well known" columnist and culture critic who left the DLP in 2002
Following you can read articles, reports and analyses, published during last days in the S.K. media - from the extreme conservative/right (DailyNK, JoongAng Ilbo) to the alternative/independent radical left (NewsCham/참세상):
The Debate to End the DLP’s Pro-North Korea Stance: the Roots of a 20-Year Conflict (DailyNK, 2.01)
It seems the conflict between the Democratic Labor Party’s two major ideological outlooks, those favoring “equality” versus those favoring “autonomy” is reaching a climax as the two sides battle over the party’s pro-North Korea stance.
After an emergency committee meeting, DLP members revealed that they would propose a measure to expel party members involved in the Ilshimhoe spy case (the Ilshimhoe was a group accused of espionage in 2005. Some of its members were also members of the DLP). The proposed measure will be put before the party’s national convention. The pro-Pyongyang “autonomy” faction, who is in the majority, is threatening to veto the proposal.
Meanwhile, the opposing “equality” faction led by former assembly member Jo Seung Soo held a launching ceremony for the “New Progressive Movement Party,” which means the equality faction is already preparing to leave the party.
“It is an inevitable process” said Joo Dae Hwan, the former chairman of the Policy Committee of the Democratic Labor Party. Due to the waning of pro-North Korea sentiments, the “autonomy” faction and the “equality” faction can no longer stay together. This current conflict within the DLP arose gradually from the two sides different positions on North Korean issues.
Mutual relations between NL and PD
Within the Democratic Labor Party, the National Liberation (NL) group represents the “autonomy” faction while the People’s Democracy (PD) group represents the “equality” faction. Both groups have their origins in 1980s South Korean revolutionary social movements.
The NL group thinks that South Korea’s problems are due to the division of the country and believe South Korea is still a colony of American imperialists. Their main enemy is the US. Additionally they emphasize “Uriminjokkiri (with our nation alone)” and support independent national reunification.
The PD group thinks that South Korea’s key problems are due to a monopolistic capitalist system. They even think that the division of the peninsula was the result of the expansion of capitalist markets. They insist the process of unification could only result from the liberation of South and North Korean laborers.
Some call the NL group the “autonomy” faction, but the “Juche Ideology faction” (Jusa-pa in Korean) is more accurate. They subscribe to the Juche Ideology of Kim Il Sung and consider the Chosun Worker’s Party as their guiding organization. This is the reason why pro-North Korea currents are so strong in the Democratic Labor Party.
The NL group has dominated the movement’s national structure since the mid 1980s, while the PD group has been on the decline since the fall of communism in the USSR and Eastern Europe.
The NL group started discussing the establishment of their own progressive party in the early-1990s. The current manifestation of the Democratic Labor Party was organized and founded mainly by the PD group with a few members of the NL group in January, 2000.
The PD dominated-Labor Party turned into the NL-led-Labor Party as the general public’s pro-North Korea sentiments grew, especially during the 2000 inter-Korea Summit. National organizations, such as the National Farmers Union and the Korean College Student Union, had announced their support for the Party by the 16th Presidential Elections in 2002.
Kim Young Hwan, a member of the editorial committee of Zeitgeist Publishing used to be the leader of the National Democratic Revolutionary Party (Minhyuk-dang), the core organization of the NL group, before switching sides and joining the North Korea democratization movement. He insisted through a telephone conversation with DailyNK that “The core members of the ‘autonomy’ faction of the Labor Party are from the Minhyuk-dang, and the Minhyuk-dang is deeply involved in controlling the Democratic Labor Party.”
“Around 30% of the NL group joined with the PD group to found the party. Since the presidential elections, 60-70% of the NL group now participates in the party and the NL group dominates,” explained Kim.
Why the end of the pro-North Korea stance?
After their miserable defeat in the 2007 presidential elections, blame fell on the “autonomy” faction because of their hegemony over the party. The “equality” faction criticized the “autonomy” faction for rubbing the electorate the wrong way with their pro-North Korea policies, thus causing their failure in the elections.
Meanwhile, the Democratic Labor Party asserted that the North’s nuclear program would only be used for the national defense of North Korea and clung to North Korea’s concept of “Uriminjokkiri.” The party found itself being criticized as a puppet of the Chosun Worker’s Party.
The “equality” faction supports improving the conditions of the domestic labor class, favoring human rights issues over unification issues, and criticizing North Korea’s nuclear development. When North Korea tested its nuclear weapons, the “equality” faction found itself unable to release a statement of condemnation due to the power of the opposing faction. Since then, conflicts within the party became more pronounced.
The “equality” faction criticized their counterparts for their indifference to the North Korean regime’s human rights record while the “autonomy” faction accused the other side of not acknowledging the peculiarity of inter-Korean issues.
“Supporting North Korea without any conditions, the motto of the ‘autonomy’ faction, is not the spirit of this party. They consider our party a vehicle for North Korean propaganda,” said Jo Seung Soo
On the other hand, Kim Chang Hyun, the former secretary general of the party, and a member of the “autonomy” faction, retorted, “If the ‘equality’ faction considers North-South relations as relations between sovereign states, it is as though they support a permanent division.”
It is obvious that a party split is inevitable, as the “autonomy” faction remains silent on the worst human rights situation in the world.
http://www.dailynk.com/english/read.php?cataId=nk00400&num=3212
Related articles:
☞ 2 senior members exit Democratic Labor Party (JoongAng Ilbo, 2.02)
☞ DLP Seeks to Shed N. Korea-Friendly Image (K. Times, 1.30)
☞ Discussion about a New Progressive Party Emerged (NewsCham, 1.28)
☞ “총선 전 창당하자” vs “민주노동당 사정일 뿐” (참세상, 2.01)
☞ '민주노총당', '친북당' 등 표현 삭제 (민중의소리, 2.03)
Well, it's really remarkable how fast now - short before the coming "regime change" (oops, of course not really..) - all these reactionary rats (^^YEAR OF THE RAT, but in the "western world" if you describe someone as a rat - it's not a lovely description, not at all..) are coming out of their dirty holes - to "change the world"/turn back the history... One "impressive" example is following article, published in Korea Times' newest edition:
Conservatives Downgrade Jeju Uprising in 1948
Some conservative civic groups have called for a ``reevaluation'' of the April 3 Jeju Resistance Movement as a communist uprising instead of massacre by the government, and are causing quite a stir among Jeju residents.
The New Right Union, the Korean Veteran Association and 16 other conservative groups agreed to hold campaigns from Jan. 29 calling for the incident that took place in 1948 on Jeju Island to be reevaluated.
The move comes after Lee Myung-bak's presidential transition team decided to abolish the National Committee for the Investigation of the Truth About the Jeju April 3 Incident, established under a special law to look into the event.
The committee members as well as Jeju residents said the team's decision was obnoxious, as some villages saw half of their inhabitants killed. They said the truth has yet to be revealed, and the plan was a step back from verification.
The Jeju Resistance Movement occurred during the post-liberation period when Korea was a single nation. Historians say there were conflicts between the leftist umbrella South Korea Labor Party and pro-U.S. politicians. The two sides clashed throughout 1947 on Jeju when the labor party planned protests against the national referendum to establish a separate Korean government in the southern half of the peninsula.
On April 3, 1948, the leftist party members allegedly attacked police stations to gain power, while the provisional government allegedly arrested everyone on the spot and killed them later.
The alleged death toll is said to have been 25,000-30,000, one-10th of the island's population. The resistance continued until 1954, even after the referendum and the South Korean government was established.
The Kim Dae-jung and Roh Moo-hyun administrations have acknowledged 2,778 deceased as official victims. Moreover, President Roh made a public apology to Jeju residents on behalf of the authorities in 2006.
However, some conservatives have said the resistance has much to be reviewed. ``Though many civilians died, the essence of the event was communists orchestrating an uprising to dominate Korea,'' a conservative group member said...
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2008/01/117_17945.html
Related (to the Jeju Massacre):
☞ Cheju 4.3 Massacre.. (a collection of articles, analyses, reports by Kimsoft)
☞ Cheju Uprising (wikipedia)
A few days ago (1.17) kotaji published following analysis about..
..The situation in the DLP (after the presidential election)
The most obviously disappointing outcome of the elections is that virtually none of Roh’s disappointed former supporters went to the left and the Democratic Labour Party did rather badly (although perhaps not as badly as some think, since it retained its support base in some key areas). This seems perplexing considering the considerable strength of the movements against the Korea-US FTA, the continued use of South Korean troops in Iraq and the mass casualisation of the Korean workforce under Roh. For answers to this question you might want to look at the various intelligent analyses in the Counterfire newspaper (in Korean). One important factor to bear in mind is that the misfortunes, defeats and scandals that have beset the KCTU (main left union federation) in recent years have obviously had an impact on the credibility of the DLP since it basically originated as the political wing of the federation and is still very close to it.
Whatever the reasons for the DLP’s poor showing (and they are undoubtedly multiple), it has been the trigger for an internal crisis that is threatening to split the party. It would be a mistake however, to think that these divisions within the DLP are something new - it has always been an amalgam of very different factions. And the tensions between the two main factions came to the surface very clearly before in late 2006 when the Roh administration sought to use a supposed ’spy ring’ within the party as a scapegoat in the febrile atmosphere after North Korea’s nuclear weapon test.
I’m sure I would be accused of being overly simplistic if I described the current split as being along the lines of the old ‘NL’ (National Liberation) and ‘PD’ (People’s Democracy) factions of the 80s and 90s, although there is some truth in this. Basically, as far as I can make out, the more moderate factions (i.e. more rightwing and more social democratic factions) in the party along with some sectarian radical left elements, under the general banner of the ‘Equality Faction’ (평등파/P’yongdungp’a - including many former PD people) are attempting to get rid of the more old fashioned left-nationalist ‘Independence Faction’ (자주파/Chajup’a - basically NL), or split the party if they cannot achieve this. The P’yongdungp’a accuse the Chajup’a of being in thrall to North Korea (종북주의) and exercising undue dominance over the party. Many big hitters both within the DLP as well as some on the outside are now openly calling for the founding of a new party, presumably purged of those power-hungry pro-North elements.
As the analysis in Counterfire by Kim Ha-young points out, this faction fight is not really about the supposed pro-North leanings of the dominant Chajup’a faction (they weren’t considered a problem before, so why now?), but has more to do with a simple power struggle within the party as well as a desire, among some at least, to move the party in a rightward direction. The basic fact is that the coming South Korean government, like all those before it, will use the accusation of being pro-North whenever it wants to physically suppress the left or simply smear its image. And this will happen whether or not the DLP purges its (rather mildly) pro-North Chajup’a elements.
Clearly both sides in this battle for the DLP are not without their political problems, but the Korean working class and the left in general will be immensely stronger in the tough months and years ahead if it has a single, united left party to articulate its interests in the political arena. Unfortunately it doesn’t look as though this will be the case...
http://kotaji.blogsome.com/2008/01/17/election-fallout-and-falling-out/
Related stuff:
☞ DLP.. #4
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Who cares? They got less than 2 percent of the vote. They are marginal. Unimportant. Forget them. They don't count.부가 정보