S. Korean Trade Union Leader on Hunger Strike in Prison

S. Korean Trade Union Leader on Hunger Strike in Prison
Pyongyang, December 21 (KCNA) -- Ri Sok Haeng, chairman of the south Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), has been going on a hunger strike in prison for over ten days, according to KBS of south Korea on Dec. 18.

The KCTU announced that from Dec. 6 after he was arrested by the police he has staged the hunger strike in protest against the policy of destroying people's life pursued by the Lee Myung Bak "government" which incriminates the workers' struggle for the population's existence and tramples on the vital rights of part-time workers under the pretext of economic crisis.

Meanwhile, trade unions under the KCTU have waged the struggle outside the Chongwadae from Dec. 12 in demand of the release of Ri Sok Haeng and stop to suppression under the pretext of "security," KBS said

South Korean People’s Living Gets Worse

South Korean People’s Living Gets Worse



In south Korea the people’s living is getting worse owing to the anti-people and treacherous economic policy of the Lee Myong-bak regime and the daily-aggravating economic crisis.



- Income reduces and prices skyrocket

While the monthly income of the people continuously shrinks due to the economic crisis, in particular, the income of the lower income brackets fell to the minimum so that they were reduced to the poor.

In the meantime, affected by the sharp rise of prices of the international raw materials including oil, in last July the consumer prices rose 5.9% more than that of the same period of the last year, recording the highest level since the foreign exchange crisis in 1998, and the prices of daily commodities including foodstuff jumped to 7.1%.

As a result, people complain that they hardly eke out for the awful rise of consumer prices and the present living is bitterer than that of the period of the IMF trusteeship.



- Tax burden records the highest

The tax burden for a citizen in south Korea this year increased by 510, 000 won more than last year to reach 4.22 million won.

The household debt increased to 38.41 million won as of late March, the highest record in history.



- Tuition fees of university are largest in the world and various diseases widespread

Tuition fees of national and public universities run by the puppet regime or local administrations amount to 10 million won and private universities to 20 million won, increasing 10% more than that of last year, the highest figure in the world.

With the rampant diseases throughout south Korea due to the economic hardships and deteriorating living environment, meningitis patients, for example, increased by 2090 from January to July this year only or two folds of the average number of the last five years.

There are 101 tuberculosis patients among the 20s, 284 patients among the over 70s for every 100, 000 population, so that south Korea is stigmatized as a “country coughing in tuberculosis”.



- Millions reduced to the unemployed

Now the unemployed are 3.37 million, more than 14 % of the labor force.

Among them the completely unemployed who could not work even an hour a week amounted to 800, 000 and the university-graduate unemployed are more than 2.57 million.

In addition to that, if 3.25 million daily-workers and part-timers are included, the actual figure of the unemployed is as many as 6.62 million.



- Sorts of social evils prevail

Due to the living difficulties atrocious crimes including kidnapping, murder and robbery recorded 449, 000 cases in 2006 and 461, 000 cases last year with 10, 000 case-increase every year.

Those who give up any optimism and commit suicide disappointed by the difficulties of job-seeking and livelihood, and various diseases, get more numerous every year. According to a recent report from the puppet police agency the suicides rapidly increased to 13 400 persons last year from 12 900 in 2006.



So, south Korea is now branded in the world as a “kingdom of crime” and a “republic of suicide”.

Though the Lee Myong-bak clique is now busy presenting the so-called “measures for people's livelihood” and “promise of ameliorating the quality of life” in a bid to calm down the complaints and anti-government sentiment of the people, it can never appease the infuriated people.

All-out Struggle for Repeal of Evil Labor Law Declared in S. Korea

All-out Struggle for Repeal of Evil Labor Law Declared in S. Korea
Pyongyang, November 18 (KCNA) -- The south Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) held a rally in Ryoju, Kyonggi Province, on November 12 with representatives of trade unions of at least 2,500 work places affiliated to KCTU attending.

Speakers at the rally denounced the authorities for contemplating enacting an evil law banning the payment of wages to the full-time trade union leaders, adding that this is a move to hold in check the trade union activities and stamp out the labor movement.

They also held that the moves of the "government" and the business management side to make a retrogressive revision of "the law on part-time job" would only result in further expanding the part-time job.

The "government" should halt at once the retrogressive revision of the above-said law, they urged.

A resolution read out at the rally declared that KCTU would launch an all-out struggle including a general strike to check the passage of the evil labor law through the "National Assembly".

South Korea, Republic of Suicide

South Korea, Republic of Suicide

Suicide, a commonplace in capitalist societies dominated by money, is raised as a serious social problem in south Korea , a colony of US imperialism.

The rate of suicide is on steady increase every year in south Korea .

According to an official data of the government 13,407 persons in all committed suicide last year or over 36.7 persons killed themselves every day.

This figure is much more than that of 2006 by 439 suicides.

An analysis of the suicides of each sex for the last 5 years indicated that the suicide rate of men is higher in general by 65 to 70 % but the women suicides are increasing remarkably every year.

The number of women suicides has increased by 19.3% for the last 5 years from 3,871 in 2003 to 4,617 in 2007.

Of the motive of suicide the pessimism is 46.7% (31,002 persons), taking the lion’s share, and in ages, the middle-aged suicides in their 40s were 23.2% (15,454), the most.

The yearly increase of suicides in south Korea is caused by the unpopular policies of the government.

A lawmaker of south Korea deplored the reality of suicide saying “If we fail to check the social phenomena of suicide which has high contagious speed the whole of society would be engulfed in destruction. As it has the first responsibility for safeguarding the people's life the government should take prompt measures”.

Nonetheless, by pursuing the big-business-benefiting policy the Lee Myong-bak clique is driving small and medium enterprises into bankruptcy, dismissing lots of workers from workshops, knocking down the stock-breeders en mass by allowing the import of cheap American beef, and endangering the people's life.

So, the people, who were deprived of their valuable living place, have no choice but committing suicide cursing the decadent society.

In the gangster-like society overpowered by the jungle law, where they unscrupulously kill even their parents and children for the sake of money and power, and in the misanthropic capitalist society where man is regarded as slave of money and capital, the suicide is unavoidable phenomena and incurable disease.

National Meeting Marks Anniversary of Formation of Anti-Japanese Trade Union

National Meeting Marks Anniversary of Formation of Anti-Japanese Trade Union

Pyongyang, August 26 (KCNA) -- A national meeting took place at the Central Workers' Hall on Monday to mark the 80th anniversary of the formation of the Anti-Japanese Trade Union by President Kim Il Sung.
Present there were Yang Hyong Sop, vice-president of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly, Kim Jung Rin, secretary of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, Ro Tu Chol, vice-premier of the Cabinet, leading officials of the working people's organizations and officials and members of the General Federation of Trade Unions of Korea (GFTUK).
Kim Pyong Phal, chairman of the Central Committee of the GFTUK, said in a report that the Anti-Japanese Trade Union formed by Kim Il Sung in Jilin on August 25, Juche 17 (1928) was the first revolutionary mass organization of the Korean working class which educated and awakened the broad masses of workers and energetically mobilized them to the struggle for carrying out the Juche-oriented revolutionary line, guided by the immortal Juche idea.
The reporter recalled that no sooner had the President founded the Party after the liberation of the country on the basis of the precious tradition of building mass organizations established in the crucible of the anti-Japanese revolutionary struggle than he formed the trade union, a unified mass organization of the working class, adding that he thus united the working class, a main motive force and core unit of the revolution, as an organized force.
He went on:
Under the wise leadership and meticulous care of the President the trade union powerfully aroused the working class and members of the trade union in each annul of the arduous revolution after its formation including the period of building a new country, the Fatherland Liberation War, the postwar reconstruction and socialist construction and thus performed shining feats in the struggles to resolutely protect the Party and the leader, defend the country and build a socialist power.
The working class and the members of the trade union could perform exploits in the drive for building a great prosperous powerful nation, firmly armed with the great Juche idea, the Songun idea and united close around the Party and the leader. All this is the fruition of the wise leadership of Kim Jong Il.
The reporter stressed that thanks to the Songun leadership of Kim Jong Il a Juche-oriented great prosperous powerful nation will appear on this land and only victory and glory are always in store for the trade union, a powerful transmission belt of the Party.

Anti-Japanese Trade Union, Origin of Korean Labor Movement

Anti-Japanese Trade Union, Origin of Korean Labor Movement

Pyongyang, August 25 (KCNA) -- Eighty years have passed since President Kim Il Sung organized the Anti-Japanese Trade Union, the origin of the Korean labor movement.
From the first days after he embarked on the road of revolution in his early years, he attached great significance to awakening and organizing popular masses and made energetic efforts to rally people from all walks of life in an organized way.
The President moved the theatre of his revolutionary activity to Jilin where there were many factories, small and large, at that time but there was not a well-regulated organization for the workers.
It was all that the Hansong Association was organized in the spring of 1927 to help Koreans find job and to promote convenience in their life.
With the analysis of the urgent revolutionary demand and serious lessons of the Korean labor movement, the President put forward a policy of building a revolutionary organization such as an anti-Japanese trade union among Korean workers and dispatched core members of the Anti-Imperialist Youth League to various factories to unite workers in a revolutionary organization.
Basing himself on the preparations, he announced the foundation of the Anti-Japanese Trade Union, a new type of revolutionary mass organization of the Korean working class on August 25, Juche 17 (1928).
With the foundation of the trade union, the working class of Korea came to have its true mass organization and was closely rallied around it and thus discharged its historical mission in the sacred struggle for national and class emancipation under the leadership of the President. The foundation thus marked the origin of building a revolutionary mass organization of the working class.
No sooner had he founded the revolutionary Party after the liberation of the country than he formed the trade union, a unified mass political organization of the working class and wisely led it so that it became the positive supporter to the Party and thorough implementer of the party policy.
Today under the guidance of the Workers' Party of Korea, the might of the trade union has increased incomparably and grown to be single-minded militant ranks and a Songun revolutionary organization which is true to the Songun leadership of Kim Jong Il.

No to the suppression of south Korean Trade Unions

The Trade Union Section of UK KFA which is composed of trade unionists from
RMT,PCS,Unite/TGWU,Communication Workers Union,Unity the Union(formerly
Ceramic and Allied Trades Union)who belong to KFA strongly condemn the
suppression of the south trade unions in particular the south Korean
Confederation of Trade Unions.
We are outraged that the general strike of the south Korean Confederation
of Trades Unions against the import of US beef was declared illegal and an
arrest warrant issued against Ri Sok Haeng chairman of the Confederation.

We demand the south Korean regime stops suppressing the south Korean
Confederation of Trade Unions.We support the struggle of south Korean
trade unionists for democratic rights,for living standards and jobs and
against neo liberalism
UK KFA TRADE UNION SECTION-TRADE UNIONS FOR THE DPRK

Meeting Held to Mark Anniversary of Anti-Japanese Trade Union

Meeting Held to Mark Anniversary of Anti-Japanese Trade Union

Pyongyang, August 25 (KCNA) -- A meeting took place here on August 24 to mark the 75th anniversary of the anti-Japanese trade union formed by President Kim Il Sung. The President inaugurated the anti-Japanese trade union, a revolutionary mass organization of new type of the workers, the first of its kind in Korea, on August 25 Juche 17 (1928).
Chairman Ryom Sun Gil of the Central Committee of the General Federation of Trade Unions of Korea in his report said that with the formation of the anti-Japanese trade union the workers of Korea came to have their genuine mass organization, united around it and discharged their historic mission and duty in the great struggle for national and class liberation under the guidance of the President and this marked a glorious beginning of the building of a revolutionary mass organization of the workers.
Right after the liberation of Korea the President, basing himself on the strong roots provided by him to build a revolutionary mass organization of workers, founded the trade union, a unified mass political organization of the workers in the wake of the founding of a revolutionary party, clearly indicated the duties of the trade union in each period and at each stage of the revolution and wisely guided it to advance along the road of Juche, he said.
Leader Kim Jong Il, attaching great importance to the work of the trade union, gave detailed instructions as regards the content and method of the work of trade union and energetically directed the organization so that it could make great contributions to the modeling of the whole society on the Juche idea, the reporter said.
His idea and guidance, he noted, are vital to the trade union.
He said all the trade union members should have absolute worship of Kim Jong Il and single-heartedly uphold the Party's Songun guidance.
Present at the meeting was Secretary Kim Jung Rin of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea.

FOUNDATION OF UK KFA TRADE UNION SECTION

The UK KFA Trade Union Section-Trade Unions for the DPRK has now been founded.Our
aims are

a) To Co Ordinate KFA work amongst KFA members who are trade union members
bToPromote the DPRK and the idea of the KFA amongst trade union members
c)Exchange and co operation with the General Federation of Trade Unions
of Korea

We have members in RMT,PCS,Unite,CWU and other unions

We aim to win support amongst trade unionists for the DPRK and promote solidarity.