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With last Saturday's "Day of Hope and Solidarity" more than 2000 workers, activists of resistance and solidarity organizations and citizens celebrated in Seoul the end of the "Solidarity Week With the Victims of (Capitalist) Exploitation and (Mass) Dismissals".

But while my last contribution(6.17) about the 'event' was mainly focused on 'visual' impressions... here you'll get now a detailed written report (incl. a few pics):

[June 16] "Day of Hope and Solidarity" in Seoul:

“The workers are the Sky. The Gureombi Rock is the Sky. People are the Sky”
 

On last sunny Saturday, about 3,000 citizens gathered in Seoul, to express their solidarity to the Ssangyong automobile workers of which 22 workers have made suicide for the post trauma of the long hard period strike and extreme difficulty after lay-off without any compensation from the company.

The event was, “Day of Hope and Solidarity: Let’s walk together, let’s live together, lets’ laugh together,” co-sponsored by the Nationwide Committee for the Victims of the Ssangyong Automobile Workers and several independent newspapers/progressive internet magazines.

Not only Ssangyong workers but also many workers from various unions in strike due to lay-off and irregular jobs gathered to the Yoido Park in front of the National Assembly, Seoul. There were also Hanjin Heavy Industry workers who are still struggling for months despite the negotiation success with the company the other day. The company has not kept the promise and it is told that about 150 people who have ridden in the Hope Bus to express solidarity for the Hanjin workers last year have been accused by the prosecutors.

And there were also people from the Gangjeong village, to express solidarity to the workers and appeal for the struggle against the Jeju naval base.

"Shinzzakkot", a music band composed of the activists in Gangjeong, and who made a performance, was those of them.

A citizen in an yellow Gureombi shirts was told to say: “I want to stop state power from Yongsan, Ssangyong automobile to the Gangjeong village with our solidarity. Despite difficult situation, I want to solve it with our joyful songs.”

Fr. Mun Jeong-Hyeon said, “The state power speaks for corporations like the Samsung C & T. To make oppression powerless, there is only a way that we gather together.”

 
A traditional medical doctor said, “Hope grows not in front of desk but in our most desperate fields. I feel hope by many people’s gathering. The Gangjeong villagers have gotten lots of stress during the process of the blast on the Gureombi Rock.
 

The march of 8km from the Yoido park to the Duksou palace, center of Seoul, from 2 to 5pm was stopped by the police. Four people are reported to be arrested on the day...
 

   (Source: "No Naval Base on Jeju!"/Choi Sung-hee)