본문
Enjoy the revolution!
Cheong-Hee/Seoulidarity
www.seoulidarity.net
Ordinary people's protest
The Candle light demonstration has been more than 1 month in Seoul, South Korea.
Every night we have seen teenagers with school uniform, young girls who were wearing high hills, couples holding their kids and candle together.
Not only young people but old people come to the city hall square and shout
their slogans.
It started with teengers which was very surprising because the system has made them only study competing with their friends. Furthermore, the new Korean government is trying to make them focus on only studying, intensifying English education and their competition for entering the universities and even high school, too saying autonomous education system. Those teenagers couldn't endure their situation any more with not only the education system but also 'the Mad Cow Disease' because after its import, this cheap beef will probably go to schools' cafeterias first.
Humiliating negotiation
By the deal between the U.S., South Korea is supposed to import cows over 30 months and even some organs such as spines, nerve ganglions in the brain and the eyes that are prohibited to sell even in the U.S. and internationally provided as 'specified risk materials(SRM). Furthermore, the way Koreans cook is very different. Koreans eat boiled bone soup and boiled meat as well. For this reason, it's impossible to avoid to eat the SRM for Koreans. The government exists to protect its people, but how can Koreans trust the president and its government who said that 'I tried for you to eat cheap and good beef. If you don't want it, you don't need to buy and eat it'?
Why are Koreans angry?
It seemed only a matter of mad cow disease at first. But, people started to mention about the privatization of public sectors such as health care, water system and university students talked about their hugely increasing tuition fee. These issues are directly related to people's lives they didn't expect from the new government. People wanted to believe the president, Lee Myoung-Bak's election pledges that he would make people's economic conditions better. However, this 'business-friendly government' policies have gone completely in an opposite way.
On May 22nd, the president released his statement to people especially on the beef import from the U.S., but he didn't say that he would change the plan even though he said sorry. On May 29th, finally the government made the declaration about the cow import form the U.S. as said before without any change regardless people's anger. It made the protest much bigger and people occupied the street not only the sidewalk for the protest. Eventually, it became an anti-government protest. The slogans were first 'Make the negotiation invalid!, Withdraw the declaration!' but it came with 'Overthrow the dictator government!', 'Go away, Lee Myoung-Bak!' 'Go away, the violent police!' and eventually criticizing the conversative, powerful newspapers which have distorted the truth and saying 'Go away, Cho.Joong.Dong!(which stands for Chosun, JoongAng, DongA)
It was around the last week of May and the police started to arrest citizens shooting water sprinkler to them, but people never defeated and talked to the police to arrest themselves. To these citizens, the president said 'Who supported to buy the candles? Reveal who is the background!' that showed himself very low and behind the times. To him, citizens answered that '5 year old kid is the background, these teenagers are the backgrounds'.
Is it a festival? It's a revolution!
It's different from any other demonstrations. If you see the front line against the riot police, it seems violent watching people who hit the police cars and pulling the cars using the ropes(they succeeded several times), because people wanted to go to the Blue House, 'Chung Wa Dae' but it was blocked by the police.
On the other hand, you can see the street musicians, drummers just backside of them. During June 5th~8th, people had continous 72 hours protest and each night around 200, 000 people joined it. The reason this number of people could join is that they're enjoying it. NGO groups had their tents on the city hall square. Human rights film festival team showed some movies on the screen and one progressive party showed the movie, 'Sicko'. Media activists were showing laser tag on a big building on June 6th in the middle of the protest place and made people stop and join it. They made some signs or letters such as '2MB OUT'. 2MB is a short letter of Lee Myoung-Bak(2 sounds same as Lee in Korean). Some progressive internet news or progressive parties had live shows showing the spot immediately.
The difference is also shown on the serious point. If the police say something against people with a speaker to persuade to finish the protest, people say 'Sing a song!'. If the police say on top of the bus, people say 'Dance! Dance!' And people know the young riot police would also have a hard time, so they give water to them, too.
Advanced people, outdated and incompetent government
How long will it last? Nobody knows! There's no leadership. People just have discussions on the internet sites and make ideas and make decisions on the spot. Very specially, people know how to deal with the government. Even though the government seems like a deaf and never listens to its people, ordinary people who are like your sister or your friend are gathering and shouting against the government.
Recently, the president, Lee Myoung-Bak changes his cabinet which seems like useless and called Bush to ask to export the safe beef never changing its negotiation articles. He can't deceive with these little things and he just makes people more angry.
On June 10th, there will be a huge demonstration which people expect 1,000,000 people get together. On June 10 1987, there was a huge demonstration to call for the democracy. After this demonstration(it lasted almost one month), Koreans could elect the president by themselves directly. So, This Tuesday is very significant. Nobody can imagine how it will be. To this government which plugs its ears, people are saying that the first article of the Constitution, 'The Republic of Korea is a democratic republic. All of the power comes from the people.'
For more information, visit
http://english.hani.co.kr
http://english.ohmynews.com
이 글은 seoulidarity 이름으로 해외 미디어에 등록할 생각으로 내가 하루 죙일 걸려
썼는데 아마 오늘 등록은 힘들 듯하다. 내부의 사정으로.. 교정 볼 이가 튕겼음. ㅡㅡ;
10일 대규모 집회를 알리고싶었으나 뭐, 꼭 그것만 중요한 건 아니니까, 앞으로도
계속 진행해야 하니까(안하는 것이 가장 좋은 거지만 그럴것 같진 않고)..
또 10일 집회 어땠는지도 알리면 되고..
처음 외국인 친구들이 이 집회를 보고 '민족주의 집회'라고 말하고, 한국인 친구들의
설명과 상황 변화등을 보며 많이 공감해가긴 했지만 그럼에도 약간 석연찮아 하는
부분들이 좀 있었다. 사실 때론 나도 집회장에서 이글거리는 눈빛으로 누군가가 집어든
태극기를 보며 마음 불편했고, 소녀들을 지킨다며 사방 뛰어다니며 여러분은 가만 계세요 이러는 예비군들과 그들을 보며 박수 치는 시민들을 보며 이건 아닌데.. 이랬던
적이 있었지만, 민중들은 현명하게도 이 시위를 훌륭하게 이어가고 있단 생각이 든다.
누군가에 의해서가 아니라 스스로 원해서, 때론 노래 부르고 때론 춤추며, 또 때론
밧줄을 잡아당겨 경찰 버스도 끌어오는 괴력을 발휘하면서 말이다!
암튼, 서울리데리티 친구들도 이상하게 여긴 부분이 있었는데 온갖 보수 미디어를
통해서 이 소식을 전해들었을 외국인들은 어떨까? 그들에게 '(아직 혁명인지는
모르겠지만) 한국에 물결이 일렁이고 있다'고 전해주고싶다!
참, 참세상도 영어 사이트 업데이트 좀 더 잘됐으면 좋겠다. 링크 달고싶었는데
최근 집회 기사 하나도 없어서 못함. 아쉽..;;
댓글 목록
관리 메뉴
본문
나두다.더도 덜도말고 욕심내어 암수로 두사람 있었으면.....먼곳으로 아주먼곳으로 가고자했던 곳도 가고말이다.부가 정보