CINA

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Cheong Wa Dae said earlier this week the likely scenario is that South and North Korea reach an agreement on putting an end to the war at their summit...(source: K. Times, 4.19)

And while the S. Korean gov't(Cheong Wa Dae) will (possibly)declare the end of the war with the North, a part of the same institution - the Ministry of Defense - declared war on (a part of)its own people!!

Under the headline Military losing patience with protest against THAAD base today's Yonhap reported the following: South Korea's defense ministry said Thursday it is mulling an alternative to dialogue with activists and residents near the U.S. military's new missile defense base on the peninsula.

   They have been blocking the transport of construction materials and equipment into the THAAD site in Seongju, North Gyeongsang Province, for months.

   They are concerned that the military will expand helipads and other facilities associated with military operations in the compound.

   The Ministry of National Defense stressed that it's urgent to improve the living conditions of hundreds of American and South Korean troops there with no adequate amenities. "In connection with the deployment of the THAAD system, we have tried to respect residents' opinion as much as possible, abide by democratic procedures and maintain transparency," the ministry's spokeswoman Choi Hyun-soo said at a press briefing. However, it's believed to be difficult to resolve the issue through dialogue, she said, adding that the military plans to seek a "necessary measure."

   The statement was a de facto ultimatum, although no deadline has been set publicly. It heralds a police operation to disperse the protesters and clear the way for the delivery. A fierce physical clash is expected...(more you can read here)

PS. Well, if - according to the S. Korean gov't - "peace on the Korean peninsula is within reach"... Do we(^^) really need THAAD anymore???

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Y'day(4.17) afternoon in Seoul's Yeoui-do: Unionists of GM Korea call for the ailing carmaker to repeal a decision to shut down its factory in Gunsan, 274 km southwest of Seoul, during a rally in front of the Korea Development Bank...(Yonhap, 4.17)

Earlier, in the morning, dozens of GM workers staged an agitprop rally in central Seoul(@Gwanghwamun) to inform the public about their struggle to secure their workplaces(i.e. to assure their livelihood!!). Here're just impressions, depicting the event(photographed by comrade Shin Yoo-ah)...

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Last week(4.08), the U.S.-based 'media and organizing project' Labor Notes has named former (KCTU)chairman Han Sang-kyun, former (KCTU)secretary-general Lee Yeong-joo...

...and the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions(KCTU) as winners of the "Troublemaker Award" for 2018.

Kim Kyeong-ja, KCTU's vice chairman, and Ryu Mi-kyeong, the director of the international affairs bureau...

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...deliver their acceptance speech after winning the "Troublemaker Award" at the Labor Note Conference(April 8, Chicago, USA)...

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Today's Hankyoreh reported the following: Residents and civic groups opposed to the THAAD deployment clashed with police at the Jinbat Bridge in Seongju, North Gyeongsang Province on Apr. 12. On this day, the Ministry of National Defense(MND) was moving materials for the construction of facilities at the THAAD base. 3000 police were mobilized to stop the demonstrators from blocking the construction material entering the base. An emergency medical team was dispatched to the site of the demonstrations after one elderly woman injured her ribs during a scuffle with the police...

...following the clash, a senior official from the MND met with residents and agreed to halt further delivery of construction material. 12 trailers were also allowed into the base to remove forklifts, bulldozers, and other equipment which had already been placed on the base.

Related articles:
☞ Clash erupts as military moves to resume construction at THAAD site (Yonhap, 4.12)
☞ 성주 사드기지 앞 경찰-반대 주민 충돌…“공사 중단” (뉴스민, 4.12)
☞ Military delays transporting construction materials to THAAD site (Yonhap, 4.12)
☞ 성주주민 강한 반발에 군 당국 사드기지 장비 반입 중단 (민중의소리, 4.12)

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Today(4.11) in the morning(KST) in central Seoul: Hyundai/Kia Motors' non-regular workers were attacked again! Police and "security guards" hired by Jongno District Office and the workers clashed, and one of them was rushed to the hospital because of a back injury. About 200 police officers and 15 staff members of Jongno-gu Office started the demolition at 10:30 a.m. on Friday. Police have overwhelmed about 20 non-regular workers, and the district office has confiscated three tents...

Source of the pics: comrade Shin Yoo-ah and NewsCham
 

Three Hyundai/Kia Motors' non-regular workers have staged a sit-in struggle in front of the central gov't complex since two weeks(here you'll get a related article in Korean), urging Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Mong-koo to be punished for the illegal employment of temporary workers in S. Korea's main vehicle manufacturer.