CINA

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A few days ago Amnesty International(ai) released its annual World Report.
Here's the summary about the current human right situation in S. Korea:

Riot police used excessive force when dispersing largely peaceful protesters...

Large numbers of irregular migrants were deported amid reports of cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment during arrest...

There was heightened concern about freedoms of expression, assembly and association of protesters, unionists and journalists...

The S. Korea report (by ai) you can read here!

Related:
☞ Amnesty Sees S. Korea’s Human Rights Backpedaling (K. Times, 6.02)

☞ 국제앰네스티, 2009년 연례보고서에서 한국 이주노동자 문제 지적 (MTU, 6.03)

☞ 120 SNU Professors Call for More Democracy (K. Times, 6.03)

☞ Police ban assemblies of Lee administration’s critics (Hankyoreh, 6.04)

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"Memorial in Roh Moo-hyun's Honor"

During his (presidential) election campaign in late 2002 Roh promised quite a lot!
- a "labour-friendly" policy
- to improve the human rights in S.K.
- the refusal to support the then planned aggression against Iraq
- to revise the SOFA (status of the USFK)
- to improve the living conditions of the poor/most exploited people
etc, etc..

But from the beginning of his presidency Roh proved that he's just another obidient representative of the ruling (capitalist) class in S.K.!

Nov. 2005: bloody attack against farmers' protest rally in Seoul

- The workers/labor union movement was (partially extreme bloody) oppressed, just like before! Hundreds of trade union activists were imprisoned.
- Tousands of (un-documented) migrant workers were haunted by immigration officers and riot cops, arrested and deported. No small number of migrant workers, threatened by this policy, were forced to commit suicide! ETU-MB and later the MTU became the subject of permanent repression by the "authorities".
- Only few weeks after Roh's inauguration he announced that his gov't is going to support the Iraq War. Later, despite the strong opposition by a majority of the S.K. public, the gov't sent S.K. troops to join the occupation of Iraq.
- The anti-militarist/anti-USFK movement (e.g. in Pyeongtaek/Daechu-ri) has been (partially bloody) suppressed.

May 2006: S.K. army and riot cops terrorizing anti-USFK protesters in Daechu-ri

- During Roh's presidency thousands of tenants were (frequently forcibly) evicted. Thousands of street vendors were (frequently forcibly) expelled and deprived of their basis of existence... etc, etc..

Related article:

☞ Roh Moo-hyun (Guardian, 5.24)

PS: Of course that's not a reason to cheer Roh's suicide!!

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From today's Hankyoreh: 
 
The Democratic Labor Party, the New Progressive Party, the Creative Korea Party, lawmakers Chun Jung-bae and Moon Kook-hyun, former lawmakers Kim Tae-hong and Im Jong-in, MINBYUN-Lawyers for a Democratic Society, People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy, the Catholic Priests’ Association for Justice, the Journalists Association of Korea, the Korean Producers and Directors’ Association, the Pusan International Film Festival(PIFF), the Jeonju International Film Festival(JIFF), the Bucheon International Fantasy Film Festival(PIFAN), Institute of Financial Economics, and the Institute for Korean Historical Studies. This is the list of names that appear in data on violent and illegal demonstrations held in 2008 submitted by police to Democratic Party lawmaker Cho Young-taek...
It is said that police designated the 1,842 groups of the People’s Conference Against Mad Cow Disease and 50 groups of the Korea Alliance for Progressive Movement as of “illegal and violent protest groups”... (the complete editorial you can/should read here!).

 
Yeah.. PIFF, JIFF, PIFAN etc.: "illegal and violent protest groups"?
At least! Possibly also "pro-communist", "terrorist" entities.. Who knows??

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IMC S.K.: This is the third broadcast of Be the Media, a program of the alternative radio station Media Redevelopment Action Radio at the Candle Light Media Center in Yongsan, Seoul, South Korea. Be the Media is a radio program project of Korea Indymedia. DJ Dope and Giraffe are MCing this show.. (more about it here!)
Listen to the program to find out more about what's going on in Seoul, South Korea!

 Related link:

☞ Media Redevelopment Project(YongsanRadio)

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Last Thursaday(4.21) the "Inter-Korean Meeting" in Gaeseong (Industrial Complex) took place, resp. failed completely..

But - surprisingly - only one day later the S.K. gov't concluded that it could be a beginning of a new, possibly fertile dialogue (according to the S.K. bourgeois but also the 'progressive' media) between the Pyeongyang and Seoul..

Yeah! Exactly!
As following statement by Rodong Shinmun(4.23) is proving:

The Lee group is a junta of the worst fascist gangsters putting the successive military dictators into the shade..

The history and the nation have already sentenced the Lee regime to death penalty..

The ferocious fascist dictator will be forced to stand the trial of history any time for betraying the nation quite contrary to the trend of the times!

- 平和 -

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For more informations please check out:
☞ 한국인디미디어 Korea-imc 소개와 상영회‏(Screening + Workshop)

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IMC S.K.: "This is the first broadcast (April 21, 2009) of Be the Media, a program of the alternative radio station Media Redevelopment at the Candle Light Media Center, Yongsan, Seoul, South Korea. Be the Media is a radio program project of Korea Indymedia. MC Dope and Giraffe were MCing this first show. Anyone is invited to participate and contribute to the program. The program was broadcast in both Korean and English, switching between the two languages throughout the program":

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For more detailed informations (in Korean) please check out:
☞ 4.3(金): 레아 오픈식 "용산에 가면 시대가 보인다!!"

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"Candlelight Media Center" Established!

It has been two months since the police carried out the horrible forced eviction in Yongsan, what has resulted in the Yongsan Massacre.

And since then more residents and activists were arrested and the demolition in the area has resumed. But nothing has been resolved for the evictees and the families of the deceased.

Nevertheless, they and their supporters continue their hard struggle.

In order to support their cause, activists from the Association of Korea Independent Film & Video (KIFV), among other media activists (무나동지! 고마워요!!^^), have opened a space for media activities called "Candlelight Media Center" (CMC). It is located next to the site of the Yongsan Massacre, in an area scheduled for demolition.

The goals of the "Candlelight Media Center":

- keep alive the candlelight vigil for the 5 evictees who were killed in February;
- rally media activists who use direct action, and expand public interest to other issues including the Yongsan Massacre;
- build a base of activities for the continuing struggle until the government makes clear the truth about the Yongsan massacre and punishes the officers who are responsible for the killing.

 
A group of media activists has been working on the construction of the media center in secret, for fear of attack from the police. And the activists expect that the CMC will be safe from demolition at least for the next several months.

3.25: first activities inside CMC

The first and second floors of the CMC are being remodeled to be used for diverse purposes, including news production, meetings, film screenings, and media education programs. Several events and activities are scheduled to commence the activities in this new space starting from this week.

How to get there:
Subway line 4 신용산(Shinyongsan) station exit 2. Walk toward the Yongsan disaster spot (it takes 3 minutes). You will take a path to the rear load, and look for "Rhea(레아) Hof", 2nd fl.

Related article:

☞ 용산 촛불들 “우리가 기록하고 보도한다” (미디어스, 3.26)