General Strikes Unabated in S. Korea

Pyongyang, July 24 (KCNA) -- Most of trade unions of south Korea reportedly are on general strikes in succession.
The trade union of the metal workers kicked off a general strike on July 20 in the wake of its general strike of more than 130 000 union members demanding ban on the night work and repeal of part-time job system on July 13.
Earlier, the construction trade union and the Freight Workers' Solidarity under the south Korean transport workers' union went on the similar strikes.
The railway, airport, harbor and transport trade unions also refused to accept the authorities' demand for proxy transport in support of more than 300 000 unionists of the Solidarity which declared the general strike on an indefinite strike.
The financial union also manifested its will to launch a general strike.
All the participants in the strikes are crying out for a boost in pay, application of the 8-hour work system, repeal of part-time job system and the withdrawal of the layoff measures.
Such massive protests are an eruption of the wrath and grudge against the south Korean conservative ruling forces who exploit and oppress the working people while imposing the unemployment and poverty upon them by enforcing the unpopular economic policy.
According to data available, 2 114 workers were reported to have lost their lives and over 93 290 wounded in south Korea last year, due to labor accidents.
The part-timers in south Korea are constantly subject to discrimination no matter how hard they work and they are living fearful of the unemployment. This clearly shows the reactionary nature of the labor policy trumpeted by the south Korean puppet regime.
What is more serious is that the Lee Myung Bak group of traitors concluded without hesitation the "Free Trade Agreement" with the U.S. in the end, leaving the south Korean economy to the mercy of foreign forces, a sycophantic act of treachery of making the people's living harder.
It is quite natural to see the general strikes against the traitorous regime's unpopular rule.
The "Saenuri Party" is repeating what traitor Lee committed by deceiving the people and committing treacherous actions.
The south Korean people are unanimous in saying that the "economic democracy" and "people's happiness" trumpeted by the party of traitors are little different from the deceptive commitment made by the Lee group to "recover economy" that resulted in the bankruptcy of the economy, the deterioration of the people's livelihood, the social inequality and widened gap between the rich and the poor. -0-

S. Korean Organizations Denounce Enterpriser Side

Pyongyang, June 11 (KCNA) -- The south Korean Confederation of Trade Unions and organizations including the metal trade unions under it released a joint statement on June 5 denouncing the enterpriser side for pushing women workers to death.
The statement said that a woman worker of the Sam Sung Electronics company died of serious disease on June 2.
The company clarified that at least 50 women workers recently lost their lives due to industrial disasters, it noted.
The statement chided the enterpriser side for covering up bad working environment and not taking any measure talking about "business secret" despite the investigation result by a professional organ that cancer-causing substance created in the work process has huge adverse impact on human body.
It insisted that the business side should apologize to the victims and their bereaved families and clarify the state of the workers suffering from illness.
Blaming the incident on the "government" which shunned the miserable situation, the statement urged the authorities to take thorough measures to prevent the recurrence of such disasters. -0-

Let Us Block Restoration of “Yushin” Dictatorship

Let Us Block Restoration of “Yushin” Dictatorship

The Park Chung-hee military clique grabbed power through a military coup d'etat on May 16, 1961 at the instigation of the US imperialists.

After the seizure of power Park declared anti-communism as the “state policy” and reduced the whole of south Korea into a killing hell and prison without bars through the fascistization of society.

The “Yushin” dictatorship which turned south Korea to a terrible land with the monstrous fascist rule eventually faced a miserable end by the people's stern punishment.

Though more than 30 years have lapsed since then the remnants of the “Yushin” dictatorship are still rampant.

They are advertising so-called “achievements” of the “Yushin government” and running amuck to realize their ambition for power, ignominiously putting up Park Geun-hye, daughter of Park Chung-hee.

The farce to praise the “Yushin” dictator is blatantly staged; the “Park Chung-hee commemoration library” was opened in Seoul, TV series on him are aired, and lots of seminars on him are held lately.

Lurking behind it is a sinister trick of the “Saenuri Party” to enlist the conservative forces so as to regain power through stirring up nostalgia for Park Chung-hee.

The “Saenuri Party” gentries bossed by Park Geun-hye now brand the progressives in south Korea as “pro-north leftists” and “north-following forces” connected with the DPRK, cry out against their ruling, and leave no means untried to win the people's favor on the other hand.

They impute all their crimes to Lee Myung-bak, a living corpse, and trumpet so-called “shake-up” and “change”.

That the “Yushin” remnants bossed by Park Geun-hye unreservedly raise their heads and make desperate effort to seize power sparks off serious concern and bitter anger among various circles in south Korea.

The people from different social standings maintain that the restoration of the “Yushin dictatorship” will only result in returning the history back to the medieval dark era, and stress they should frustrate Park Geun-hye’s ambition for power without fail.

Even the presidential candidates from the ruling “Saenuri Party” strongly denounce the party as a dictatorial system controlled by her, and take the offensive against her saying that if she takes power the people would tremble for fear reminding the “Yushin” dictatorship.

And those opposed to her in the party comment that she is a cold-hearted princess who distances herself from others, difficult to have communications with, and say that she, accustomed to the aristocratic living as a daughter of president since her early years, cannot solve the problem of the people's living.

The execrable history of treason to the nation should not be repeated any longer.

The south Korean people should thoroughly block the ambition for power of Park Geun-hye, the same as traitor Lee Myung-bak who is frenzied in fascist dictatorship and confrontation with fellow countrymen.

S. Korean Workers Declare Actions for Wage Increase

Pyongyang, April 1 (KCNA) -- The south Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) held a meeting for declaring actions for wage increase in Seoul on March 28.

Speakers at the meeting said that workers had no option but to turn out in actions again as they cannot maintain their existence no matter how hard they work.

The south Korean "government" lends deaf ear to the demand of the workers for wage increase, while pouring tens of billions of won into the "nuclear security summit", they said, adding that this can be solved only through actions.

The participants expressed the will to surely punish the "government" authorities for enforcing an unpopular policy, chanting the slogan "Let us change society through a general strike of the KCTU!" -0-

S. Korean Workers Stage Protest

Pyongyang, March 24 (KCNA) -- Those forcibly discharged by the south Korean puppet group and part time workers have been on a sit-down action under the motto "99 percent plaza of hope for a society free from lay-off and part-time jobs" in Seoul since March 10.

Its participants held a press conference near Chongwadae on March 21 at which they denounced the puppet authorities for their moves to enforce man-killing part time jobs and lay-off against workers.

At the press conference, they deplored it is very difficult for the above-said people to live every day.

They urged the authorities to abrogate the law on part-time jobs and lay-off which forces people to wander about streets.

The serious problem of lay-off and part-time jobs was caused by the present regime, they said, urging Lee to own responsibility for this situation and settle it without delay.

Then, they staged an action in demand of an interview with traitor Lee.

Public Is Best Judge(rumoured death of Lee Myung Bak)

Public Is Best Judge

Pyongyang, March 12 (KCNA) -- A rumor that south Korea's Lee Myung Bak was dead had swept throughout the Democratic People's Republic of Korea on Saturday.

In this regard, Tokko Hyon Song, living in Phyongchon District, Pyongyang, told KCNA:

"I will feel relieved if Lee Myung Bak dies as the rumor says. The article carried by the daily Rodong Sinmun Sunday is indicative of public sentiments. I believe that resentment toward the Lee group of traitors has turned to be the rumor.

As there is a saying 'the public is the best judge', the Lee group, heinous traitors to the nation, will find no a shelter in this land and sky."

Jong In Bok, living in Phyongsong City, South Phyongan Province, said:

"Even if Lee Myung Bak, little different to a beast, died, it is needless to pin hope on the south Korean regime. But, the rumor represents the surging indignation against the Lee group.

The public has already sentenced a death penalty to Lee. Now, death only awaits him."

S. Korea Bogged by Household Debt Crisis

S. Korea Bogged by Household Debt Crisis

Pyongyang, March 12 (KCNA) -- Household debt has now reached an all-time high of nearly one trillion U.S. dollars in south Korea.

The debt that had annually increased over 5 percent from 2000 now totals 929 billion U.S. dollars beyond the internationally set danger line.

Debt for each household amounts to more than 1.7 times its yearly average income, topping the world list.

40 percent of household debt was what the families loaned from the banks with their houses as collateral.

As the householders' income shrank and the house prices decreased more than 15 percent as against the past period under the influence of the economic downturn, the banks are now finding it unable to get back even the principal, to say nothing of interests.

This is an inevitable product of the unpopular economic policy of Lee Myung Bak who pushed the economy into bankruptcy and the people's lives into destitution. It is the unanimous public opinion that the upcoming parliamentary and presidential elections will serve as a harbinger heralding the puppet group's ruin. -0-