[asia-apec 347] Struggle News 21 from NCPD

[daga]

- apologies to those who may be receiving this a second time. -

Date: Fri, 31 Jan 1997 14:36:39 +0900
From: lee <BGDW at chollian.dacom.co.kr>
Subject: Struggle News 21 From NCPD
Apparently-To: kctuweb at mail.sing-kr.org

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Struggle News No. 21
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Notice
Struggle  News is  issued  succeeding to  the  20th Struggle  Flash. 
Struggle Flash have been issued  everyday except Sunday but Struggle 
News is going to be issued every  second or third day. In Proportion 
to KCTU's  closing the third stage  of general strike  and preparing 
for the fourth stage of general strike,  we have changed the name of 
our article and the frequency of issue.

KCTU's Preparation for the fourth stage of the nationwide strike/ 
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eliminating the suppression of labor/ the plutocracies unjust and
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irrational attempts to wage an all out war against the strikers.
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        On the 28th of January the KCTU held a central meeting which 
proposed that,  in the  future, the nationwide  strike will  be more 
aggressive and will work towards  the acceleration of labor's cause. 
If  the government  and  the politician's  anti-labor  laws and  the 
unfair  national security  laws are  not renegotiated  or altogether 
eliminated, and the large companies do not refrain from waging their 
immoral war  against the strikers, the  next stage (fourth)  will be 
much more aggressive and accelerated  than the struggle waged during 
the  third  stage.  In  preparation for  the  fourth  stage  of  the 
nationwide  strike,  the subdivisions  of  the  KCTU, including  the 
representatives division and the  executives division, are preparing 
a signature  campaign.  The president  of the KCTU has proposed that 
he  will personally  supervise the  fourth stage  of the  nationwide 
strike. In addition, "In preparation  for the amassing of (strength) 
power  during the  fourth stage,  planners  have promoted  mandatory 
attendance   and      reserved     the   Wednesday   demonstrations. 
previsionarily..
        Also the KCTU subdivisions,  including the executive branch, 
have attempted  to form  an association  in order  to deal  with the 
large company  threats, such  as "no  work, no  pay",   'demands for 
damages', 'absence  without warning  is prohibited',  and 'mandatory 
submission to disciplinary measures'. The  KCTU has responded to the 
large company  threats with  a more  aggressive fight  against these 
injustices.
        Finally,  in regards  to  the Hanbo  incident,  the KCTU  is 
closely  watching  the  bureaucratic  and  plutocratic  folly  which 
resulted  from  immoral and  unjust  business  activities which  are 
ruining the nation's  economic standing.  With regards  to the Hanbo 
incident, union leaders are requesting an unbiased and all inclusive 
investigation  of  this incident.    They  also suggested  that  all 
participants  should be  punished to  the fullest  extent for  their 
illegal activities. As  a result of the Hanbo  incident, workers are 
facing  employment   instability,  and  in   addition,  medium-sized 
subcontract  factories are  faced with  bankruptcy which  has forced 
larger companies to  support these smaller companies  with financial 
aid.    In order to contain  this situation, the KCTU  has created a 
countermeasure committee calling  for the punishment of  the immoral 
activities of  the large  companies and  the ineffectiveness  of the 
bureaucracy.  This committee  will provide  clear evidence  of   the 
immorality  of the  company owners  and the  ineffectiveness of  the 
bureaucrats, who  together railroaded  the anti-labor laws  and also 
the NSPA Act through the National Assembly.
 
January 29th...The leaders of the NCPD are invited to an 
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information meeting...
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On January  29th at  10pm, 40  members of  the NCPD  held a  meeting 
concerning, "the  repeal of  the anti-labor  and NSPA  acts" at  the 
Myongdong Hyongrin church.  In the meeting the  leaders of education 
and religious circles as well as the NCPD, reported their activities 
for the repeal of the detrimental revision of the laws.  In addition 
the KCTU helped each group to understand the situation better by way 
of reporting the content of the  discussions of the central steering 
committee  on the  28th and  the  preparations for  the 4th  general 
strike.    The   NCPD  reported  and  explained  the   plans  for  a 
pan-national signature drive, for a 1 million people's proclamation, 
for a political rally, and for a  cultural festival on February 2nd.  
The  NCPD  requested  the  participation  of  each  group  in  these 
activities. In accordance  with NCPD's request, the  leaders of each 
group made a resolution to struggle to  the end until the  labor law 
and NSPA Act amendments are repealed. 

On the 29th, the NCPD and the three opposition parties held a
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 second forum   
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The NCPD and  the three opposition parties  confirmed the invalidity 
of the labor law and  the  NSPA Act.  On the 28th  at 8pm, the NCPD, 
KCTU and  the three opposition  parties held  a second forum  on the 
emergency situation. At the forum,  such matters as 1) understanding 
the political situation related to the  bankruptcy of Han-Bo, 2) the 
recent situation  related to the amendments of the labor law, and 3) 
the suggestion  for a  information meeting related  to the  NSPA Act 
were  discussed.   The NCPD  expressed concern  that the  opposition 
parties would soften  their attitude on the repeal of  the labor law 
and NSPA  Act as  a result  of returning  to the  National Assembly.  
Regarding this  concern, the  opposition parties replied  that their 
return to the  National Assembly, does not mean  that they retreated 
from  their existing  standpoint, but  was necessary  to invoke  the 
authority to  inspect the  government offices.   They  affirmed that 
they would struggle until the railroaded laws were nullified. 

The NCPD pointed out that the NSPA Act was more or less neglected by 
them.  The  opposition parties  replied  that  they were  much  more 
anxious about the NSPA Act than the   NCPD.  They, including the ULD 
(United   Liberal  Democrats),   who  had   not   insisted  on   the 
nullification  of the  NSPA Act,  reaffirmed  that the  NSPA Act  is 
fundamentally void. Afterwards  the NCPD suggested that  they should 
hold a meeting to discuss the amendment of the labor law which would 
be agreed  to by the  KCTU and FKTU.   The three  opposition parties 
refrained from  replying to this suggestion.  As to agreeing  to the 
fact of  the government's suppression of  the people in  relation to 
the  general  strike,  they  decided   to  make  a  joint  committee 
consisting of the NCPD, the KCTU, the  FKTU and one lawmaker of each 
party to investigate the  government suppression, but they refrained 
from making a fact-finding mission in  the House. They also accepted 
the NCPD's  suggestion that an open  forum should be held  to inform 
people of the necessity of  repealing the NSPA Act.

On the 24th, the Korean-Japanese Committee held a meeting to 
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support the Korean Worker's general strike and denounce the
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presidential summit between Korea and Japan
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   Late on  the 24th, an emergency  meeting was held to  support the 
general strike  led by the   KCTU  and to denounce  the presidential 
summit between Korea and Japan, in the center of the Dosima district 
in  Tokyo  where  200   Japanese  citizens,  workers,  students  and 
Korean-Japanese participated.
   A delegate  of Japanese  workers who  visited the  scenes of  the 
strike in Korea for  3 days from the 22th to  24th, reported how the 
Korean workers' strike was going and they showed a video tape of the 
strike recorded by them.
   When the president  Kwon Young-Kil expressed his  appreciation of 
international  solidarity  and  sent a  solidarity  message,  "let's 
continuously participate  in the  struggle" on  the video  tape, the 
audience responded  with loud applause.   Next, a  representative of 
the  Korean-Japanese  Committee made  a  detailed  report about  the 
Korean workers'  struggle and  strongly requested support  for their 
struggle  .  The  participants  denounced  the  presidential  summit 
between Korea  and Japan held  in Japan.  The leaders of  each group 
stepped onto the platform and made  a resolution to support and join 
the Korean workers'  struggle. The participants adopted  a statement 
demanding  that the  labor law  and NSPA  Act be  nullified and  the 
suppression of workers be stopped. 
   The  next  morning, they  demonstrated  in  front of  the  Korean 
Embassy in  protest against  the Korean  government and  visited the 
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and handed  over a protest letter to the 
official.

Minkyohyup and Organization of professors against the railroaded
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 enactment issue a statement on the bankruptcy of Hanbo company.
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   On the  28th, Minkyohyup  (Professors' Conference  for Democracy) 
and Organization of professors against the railroaded enactment!9, 
which  have  begun   a  sit-down  strike  demanding   the  immediate 
nullification  of the  railroaded laws,  issued a  statement on  the 
recent  bankruptcy  of Hanbo.  The  professors  said the  railroaded 
legislation  and  the  recent   controversial  bankruptcy  of  Hanbo 
basically stem from the same origin, which is also the main cause of 
Korea's economic crisis; the  illegal collusion between politics and 
monopolistic  industrial  giants.  They   added  that  economic  and 
political democracy should be achieved by preventing this collusion. 
   The  professors demanded:  1) a  thorough investigation  into the 
allegations surrounding  the Hanbo  Group;   2) reformation  of laws 
concerning political funds  so that the evil  collusion of political 
parties and plutocracy can be rooted  out; and 3) reformation of the 
structure of  the economy  which reflects  a few  industrial giants' 
expansionism and monopolization,  and a guarantee of  workers' right 
to participate in management. 
   On the  29th, Minkyohyup  and the professors'  organization ended 
their three-day sit-in strike and suggested that they would continue 
their struggle against the railroaded enactment.

"Conference for protecting democracy" was held in Kwangju
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   The KJCD(Kwangju/Junnam Committee for  the nullification of the 
railroaded  enactment  and the  protection  of  Democracy) held  a 
"Conference for  protecting democracy"  on the  28th of  January. In 
this conference, which was held at  Kwangju Catholic Center with the 
attendance of  200 members from  all walks  of life, there  were the 
KCTU's  and  KJCD's  activity reports,  and  discussion  about  "our 
prospects and tasks for the nullification of the labor laws and NSPA 
Act". Park  Suk-Un, a  chairman of  the executive  committee of  the 
NCPD,  reported their  struggle actions  and the  outcomes to  date, 
complementary measures and plans for future struggle. 

Mass meeting of citizens was held in Mokpo
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The MCCD(Mokpo Citizens'  Committee for the nullification  of the 
railroaded  enactment  and the  protection  of  Democracy) held  a 
citizen's rally at the YMCA Assembly Hall  on the  28th. Among those 
who   participated   in  the   rally   were   citizens  from   MCCD, 
representatives  of  regional civic  groups,  and  workers of  Halla 
Industry. In this rally, the  participants discussed the process and 
outcomes of  their collective  action so far  and plans  for further 
struggle. 
   The MCCD, which has been holding a sit-down strike for 26 days so 
far,  is   receiving  signatures   from  people  and   conducting  a 
fund-raising campaign at Jungang Church daily from 8pm to 10pm. They 
have collected about 8.000 signatures to date.