We must guarantee the people's right to participate in the assessment procedure. In line with such thinking, participation of people in the preparation of assessments is definitely an essential criterion for establishing a desirable policy.

It is no longer up to just the U.S. citizens to recognize the Bush Administration.s regime change first method as the dangerous and senseless policy it is. Every country whose citizens may be directly effected by U.S. policy must demand accountability of their leaders regarding the U.S..s interests in their country. If Korean citizens want reunification, then it should be up to them to decide, not the U.S.

Feffer succeeds admirably in writing a book which clearly outlines the issues surrounding reunification of the Korean peninsula. He takes to task the Bush Administration.s regime change first method rather than diplomacy as the dangerous and senseless policy it is.

Civil Society Organizations maintain that the privacy protection act should be established under the supervision of an independent body which can deal with both the public and private sectors.

We believe public opinion which includes users is mandatory in order to resolve this MP3 phone usage issue. Should the government act to reach an agreement in cohesion with corporations and without considering the rights of users, every measure will be taken to express our opinion regarding such a decision.

On April 7, 2004, Police Headquarter announced the commencement of a project regarding the search for missing children involving the collection of DNA. Samples of children DNA who are presently under the care of protection facilities throughout the country and parents with missing children would be used to establish the DNA Database.

The Resident Registration Act's unconstitutional requirements of fingerprinting must be stopped.

The Internet Real Name Law, which was passed at the plenary session of Parliament on March 9, 2004, requires Internet media and press websites to verify all names and identification numbers of authors who post messages on bulletin boards or chat rooms regarding elections.

On January 4, 2004, the Youth Protection Committee announced a decision to remove homosexuality from the individual assessment list of harmful materials to youth. This list included materials describing bestiality, or other motivating socially unacceptable sexual activity including orgy, incest, homosexual love, masochism, sadism, and prostitution.

On Feb. 5th, nineteen civic, social and human rights organizations in South Korea hold a press conference in front of the U.S. embassy protesting against the US-VISIT and criticized that it was an apparent violation of human right.

The Intellectual Property Right is not merely a possession of copyright holders. Intellectual products would be meaningless if there were no users to enjoy them. It must be recognized that the fundamental aim of the Intellectual Property Right regime is to strengthen the consensus and exchange between the authors and users.

According to the International Secretary of ETU-MB it is as a direct warning to the address of the struggling members of MSSC and all migrant workers in South Korea, refusing to leave voluntarily the country.

Guidelines against Workplace Surveillance by the Alliance to Abolish Workplace Surveillance has asserted workers rights to reject employers total impunity in using surveillance of employees at their workplace.

Since nearly ten weeks Myeongdong Sit-in Struggle Collective (MSSC) is occupying (see our previous article about the struggle of migrant workers in South Korea) Myeongdong Cathedral.s compound. During this period Mahbub, MSSC member from Bangladesh, made fascinating portraits from struggling migrant workers.

Here the government offered a light modified plan for to get rid with the problem of protesting migrants. But because the plan brings nothing really new, the MSSC in a general assembly on Jan. 18 decided to continue the sit-in struggle, until the government meets their demands and migrants achieve legalization in South Korea and the government will release all migrant workers from detention centers.

Short before the end of the rally, around 100 migrants and some Korean supporters participated, about 50 immigration officers, backed by at least 120 riot cops attacked the MSSC members and tried to arrest them.

Jamal was active in the migrant movement and a sympathizer of ETU-MB. Both, Bidu and Jamal participated in the rally and demonstration in October 26, organized by KCTU to protest against the repression against union.s activities.

.During the time the imperialist powers want to rule the whole world, we cannot demand only our own cases . the struggle for peace, justice and a world without exploitation and oppression is our common issue independent of our nationality.

"We are one community, we learned to live together and to share our happiness, our sufferings. It is like the government want to expel my sisters and brothers out of the country!"

Last developments in the migrant workers issue and the struggle against government.s policy

Since more than one week ETU-MB (Equality Trade Union ?Migrants?Branch) activists and their allies from KCTU (Korean Confederation of Trade Unions), Hanguk Migrant Worker's Human Rights Center, Incheon, Nepal Struggle Team and KASAMMAKO (Alliance of Filipino Migrant Organizations & Migrante Sectoral Party - Korea Chapter), are occupying Myeongdong Cathedral. compound downtown Seoul.

We are writing to protest the appalling crackdown on migrant workers that is now underway in Korea. We understand that as many as 130,000 people are at risk of deportation.

Joint Statement: Struggle for Legalization and Working Visa! Fight Working Class Oppression!

During last Sunday.s, October 26, police attacks against the demonstration of migrant and Korean irregular workers, at 5 pm were arrested. After the cops took them, around 40 riot cops surrounded Bidduth and Rason, handcuffed them on the back. and beat them up.

We, ETU-MB, want the collapse of the border between migrant and Korean workers, but also the borders between the workers of the different nationalities - actually we don't need nationalities. What we want is the globalization of the working class, a globalization of the grass-roots. There are no borders between the peoples, just between up and down!

Protests against liberalisation of services and agriculture, and against repression on workers have been taking place in Korea almost everyday during the last week. Number of injuries are accumulating as riot police continue to brutally suppress demonstrations.

We, the 180 peasants, workers, teachers, health workers, activists from political parties, social and political organisations, travelled to Cancun, Mexico, where the 5th WTO Ministerial had taken place. We returned, after having fought against the WTO that destroys the lives of the peoples all around the world, after having stopped the Doha Development Agenda from making further progress, after having struggled in order to construct another globlisation in which the lives and the rights of the peoples all around the world are respected.

"Stop discrimination against irregular workers!"

"We demand that the government and capital stop the repressive neoliberal attack on the workers and that they stop their irrational and unjust acts. Moreover, we demand the stop to discrimination of irregular workers -the demand of Lee Yong-Seok- and protection of their basic rights. This is the only way that the extreme self-immolation of the workers can be stopped."

October 22, short before 9 pm Lee Hae-nam, the president of Sewon Tech Metal Worker Union in Daegu set him self on fire. With this action he tried to protest against the oppression on the union in Sewon Tech Co by the management.

Kim Joo-Ik, aged 39, is survived by his wife Park Sung-Hee, two sons aged 12 and 7(Joon-Yup and Joon-Ha), and a 10 year old daughter(Hye-Min). The up-coming struggle will decide if his message to the people of Korea survives.

¡°This should be only the beginning. We¡¯re one thousand, but there¡¯re more than 200.000 so-called illegal migrant workers in the country ? still unorganized. This we¡¯ve to change!¡±

"Only if all Koreans, who don't like the idea of war - and this is the majority of the South Korean population - will be active, we're able to stop the policy of imperialism and militarism."

Kyung-Hae Lee, you will be remembered forever, as is Emiliano Zapata and our other revolutionary leaders who have inspired generations of activists. Tears and determination are the molten lava of a volcano that is erupting in the streets of Cancun.

It.s clear, that in sensitive situations like now, activities like that can bring the whole process of multilateral dialogue with the DPRK to collapse and in the worst scenario the Korean Peninsula on the brink of war, many people here worry about.

All in all it was a very successful event - even it was raining cats and dogs - and ETU-MB found out that it makes much more sense when migrant unionists go to areas where migrant workers are living and working instead of running around downtown Seoul.

All in all a weekend giving new power for the struggle in future for peace and freedom.

Last week, mainly anti-war and student activists, the most of them member of Hanchongryeon (Korean Confederation of Student Councils) attacked nearly daily USFK (United States Forces Korea) facilities.

Yesterday around 200 student activists from Hanchongryeon (Korean Confederation of Student Councils) went to Pocheon north of Seoul in Gyeonggi-do (province), where the Stryker platoon is based. There the activists protested against the U.S. policy of militarism on the Korean peninsula, but also in the Middle East.

Is this the beginning of crackdown policy?

The new legislation requires migrant workers to renew their employment contracts annually and bans them from working in South Korea for more than three years.

Of course this is only a part of this rotten capitalist society, but we¡¯ll fight against it and we¡¯ll find ways to avoid situations like our present in the future.

Last Sunday ETU-MB members and many Korean students marched from a Park downtown Seoul through the city to Myeongdong cathedral to push the demands for abolish Industrial Trainee System, against the planned EPS, to achieve working visa and full human and labor rights.

The struggle against NEIS brings the first hard consequences

Open Letter to the President of the Republic of Korea, Roh Moo-hyun

Tuesday afternoon the Korean Railway Workers' Union (KRWU) called for an end of the four-day strike of railway workers. Hours before the South Korean government threaten the workers with intensified oppression.

Monday afternoon, Yeouido, Seoul: Thousands of farmers, workers and students held a rally in front of National Assembly to protest the plans of South Korean government to privatize the railroad net.

The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions calls on all trade unions to urgently write to the Korean Government to take necessary measures that meets the demands of social dialogue in order to explore reasonable solution demanded by Korean Railway Workers' Union instead of using riot police force against striking workers.

KCTU oppose strongly the "law on the reform of railway construction" not because we do not want the 'reform' of the Korean railway but the law never guarantee the public value of Korean railway.

South Korea, perhaps, is facing a wave of massive strikes.

Hong Kong plunged yesterday into its "deepest political crisis" since the 1997 handover to China when the territory's leader, Tung Chee-hwa, was forced into a humiliating u-turn on security legislation demanded by Beijing, the British newspapers reported on Tuesday.

KTEWU said that more than 80 per cent of the teachers are against implementing of NEIS because it¡¯s violating the human rights.

"the core debate of NEIS is related to the human rights in information society, and we never allow the implementation of NEIS, and will continue this struggle until the government announces that they would halt the implementation of NEIS."

Last Friday evening and night ten thousands - students, unionists, street vendors and professor - gathered in front of Seoul¡¯s City Hall to remember the killing of the two schoolgirls, Shin Hyo-soon and Shim Mi-seon, by US armored vehicle exactly one year before.

South Korea still has the National Security Law. According this "Law" everything related to the North means supporting the enemy, a major criminal act. Of course the North has similar laws, with the only difference that the punishment in the North it might be much more severe.

Last week Israeli Prime Minister Sharon and his Palestinian counterpart Abbas accepted the so-called “Roadmap to the Peace in the Middle East? But to where it will lead?

The ritual has increased fierce debates over the Saemangeum reclamation project, which the government has initiated in the face of heated opposition from environmentalists here and abroad who argue it will destroy one of the world’s five major wetlands, killing thousands of precious marine life.

" Leave us out of butchers club " Filipinos and Koreans lambasted 'non-NATO US ally' title.

Some Filipino groups in South Korea said today on the conferment of the title of non-NATO ally to the Philippines by US president Bush, so the representative of KASAMMAKO.

Last Friday the 7th Human Right Film Festival started with a great opening ceremony. The main issues of years film festival: international solidarity and the case of anti-war.

The premise for the workshop was that mass mobilisations in Korea as well as international solidarity with global social movements are prerequisite to fight against the trade regime that protects the free movement of capital at the sake of the rights of oppressed around the world. Thus, the main aim of the workshop was coming up with preliminary plans to mobilise mass action during the period leading up to September and also at Cancun itself.

- Latest update on resistance against FTAs, WTO and liberalisation policies of the Korean government

Yesterday members of ETU-MB, Korean students from different universities, Korean anarchists and members from other trade unions held a rally in front of National Assembly, the South Korean Parliament.

According to the new law at first that the migrant workers can¡¯t choose the factory. In the reality migrant workers will choose their own working place, but then they will be again ¡°illegal¡± and of course without labor rights.

May 11th, ETU-MB organized a charity concert for Ratan Bapary, a migrant worker from Bangladesh. Last year he¡¯d an accident and since this time he has to be in hospitals for several treatments and operations.

South Korea's unions lambasted the government's plan to implement the exclusive work permit system for migrant workers on a trial basis as a withdrawal from its reform drive.

South Korea's Ministry of Labor is moving to allow foreign industrial trainees to hold wage-earning positions, beginning as early as July, according to the daily JoongAng Ilbo, March 29. The new job category will replace the trainee program, which is more a kind of modern slavery as anything else.

The National Executive Committee (NEC) of CEPPWAWU has suspended our Regional Office Bearers (ROBs) and they are: cdes John Appolis, Dan Nkotsoe, Vuyani Tayika and Nomboniso Ndlwana. The NEC suspended them on the 6th May 2003.

2003 Mayday, Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) held mayday demonstration with about thirty thousand workers and students at Daehackno and marched to Seoul city hall.

Around 300 people participated the event. Strong speeches demanded full human and labor rights for migrant workers in South Korea, international solidarity but also they condemned the ungoing war against the Iraqi population on the sharpest.

- Latest update on resistance against FTAs, WTO and liberalisation policies of the Korean government

Speeches against the US-led aggression, against the presence of US troops on the Korean peninsula and for a peaceful unification were held. The organizers presented also a very good cultural program with stage plays, dance and music.

"Migrant workers from different nationalities in Korea stand united against the US war against Iraq. We join in solidarity with other peace and freedom loving people in Korea and the rest of the world, and with millions of our fellow migrants and compatriots in our homelands and overseas, in saying NO! to this unjust war."

Since the end of last year the Korean people are struggling to prevent the in that time planned war against Iraq. In the beginning, the first anti-war demonstration took place last autumn, only few hundred people joined the demonstrations.

Since the beginning of 2003 the South Korean anti-war movement was increasing. Like on the demonstration February 15 some thousand demonstrators took the streets of Seoul.

Last Friday the 2nd Students Action Day was held in Seoul. In Ehwa Woman¡¯s University a very active Anti-war group (http://run.to/nowar) celebrated ¡°Daisy Day¡± with great music (ace Korean punk!), movies and other actions against the war.

After the grim struggle last week against the bill to send South Korean troops into the war zone, last friday the first Stundents Action Day was held in Seoul. Students from several universities boycotted the classes.

The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions(KCTU) has been deeply involved in the rise of the anti-war, anti-deployment of Korean troops struggle during the past several weeks.

On April 2, after massive pressure from the government the majority of the National Assembly, the South Korean Parliament, voted with 179 voices for the bill. But 68 voices voted against the bill.

Five Palestinians were killed and 70 others injured during an overnight raid into Yabna refugee camp in the southern Gaza Strip town of Rafah late Saturday, April 19, during which an Israeli soldier was also killed three others injured.

The Palestinian Authority's health ministry has declared that Zionist occupation forces had killed hundreds of Palestinian juveniles and scores of babies in their mothers's wombs since eruption of the Aqsa intifada on 28th September 2000.

Israeli officials are worried that Zionist terrorists will resume thier terrorist activities against Palestinians, and a top concern is that they might attack Islamic holy sites.

On Jan. 20, Altogether about 10 policemen arrived at the Malaysiakini's office at about 12.30pm. Despite being offered to show them the server which contained the alleged seditious letter, the police ignored the offer and took away all 19 computers in Malaysiakini's office.

A wide coalition of Asia Pacific civil society condemns the unwarranted police raid on Malaysian online newspaper Malaysiakini.

We have very serious concerns that the Japanese government decided not to invite North Korea to the Asian Regional Conference for World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) and we hope Japanese Government as a host of this regional meeting should make a sincere effort to invite all Asian countries including North Korea to this meeting.

200,000 to 400,000 farmers and their supporters from labor, students, and other progressive forces took over Yeoido riverside park, near the National Assembly, to protest the World Trade Organization-led opening of the domestic rice market and a free trade agreement with Chile that further threatens the lives that toil in South Korea's breadbasket.

Two demonstrations last weekend targeted the draconian National Security Law, which still creates political prisoners despite a former victim of the NSL in the presidential office.

For the world that respect lives instead of patent rights, the leukemia patients' group and Gleevec Joint Committee receive our full support on their sit-down strike.

Key members of an association for the promotion of disabled rights have been on a hunger strike at the office of the Korean Human Rights Committee since August 12th, protesting discriminatory government policies and inaccessible public transit.