Building A Solidarity Electronically, 21st Century

http://base21.jinbo.net

For Building a Real International Solidarity Media Network

Introduction

In recent years, the world has changed very rapidly. The borders of nations have been rendered impotent in the face of an overpowering and complex arrangement of institutions, capital, and policies, all governed by a process controled by few, understood by even fewer, but whose reach extends to all citizens of the world--"globalization."

Globalization as dictated by "neo-liberalism," the latest incarnation of capitalism, has been forced upon much of the Third World. Progressive and radical activists have long worried that this form of globalization would produce disastrous results, with the global poor as its main victims. At the same time, globalization has also allowed people to engage other cultures, languages, social and political systems in a way that few would have imagined possible just a few years ago. One vehicle that has facilitated this interaction has been Information & Communication Technology (ICT), whose emergence has increased and improved solidarity links among those involved in social justice movements all over the world. However, the negative aspects to the present state of globalization have been many. We have recently witnessed the oppressive influences exerted by neo-liberal globalization in the realms of labor, the environment, human rights, sexuality, culture, and the media, to name just a few. Moreover, the gap between the rich and the poor has worsened. This dire situation been labeled by scholars and activists as a "20-80 society".

One area in the world that perhaps best represents the convergence of neo-liberal economic penetration, Cold War politics, and a growing resistence to this trend is the Korean peninsula. Last year, in a historic event closely watched by the eyes of the world, South Korea President Kim Daejung met North Korean leader Kim Jung-il in Pyongyang. They produced 615 agreements for the peaceful reunification of the two Koreas. But since then, there have been some setbacks and obstacles to disturb the movement for one Korea, namely, the Missile Defence System aggressively touted by US President George W. Bush. We will have to fight this threat in order to obtain peace and justice on the peninsula and in the world.

Last year, the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) was held in Seoul. 40,000 protesters, including workers, farmers, and professors gathered to shout a collective "no!" to neo-liberal policies. Just last month, as many of you know, 100,000 people from all over the world, including Korea, arrived in Genoa, Italy, for the G8 summit. International solidarity in the form of websites helped increase the quality and quantity of the these nascent movements. These anti-capitalist protests and the communication mechanisms that made them possible reflect the intersectionality of issues and their relevance to all progressive activists the world over--copyleft and copyright, internet governance, privacy, government censorship, gender equality, minority rights, the environment, media and political reform, etc. In Korea, social and civic organizations have been deeply involved in these issues, and recognizing the globality of their character, have looked for ways to connect their struggles with struggles in other areas of the world--in short, international solidarity. To accomplish this ambitious yet worthy goal, seven Korean progressive groups decided to create an english portal website in order to communicate with international activists, as well as an alternative media press aimed at a global audience. They are Korean Progressive Network (Jinbonet - http://www.jinbo.net), People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy (PSPD - http://www.peoplepower21.org), Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU - http://www.kctu.org), Group for Human Rights (Sarangbang - http://www.sarangbang.or.kr), Korean Federation of Environment Movement (KFEM -http://www.kfem.or.kr/), Policy and Information Center for International Solidarity (PICIS - http://picis.jinbo.net), Green Korea United (GKU - http://www.greenkorea.org), Presidential Truth Commission on Suspicious Death (PTCSD - http://www.truthfinder.go.kr/index_ko.php), The Resource Center for Asian NGO's ( http://www.skhu.ac.kr/).     

The name of this progressive media press is BASE21 (http://base21.jinbo.net). Base21 means Building A Solidarity Electronically, 21st Century. BASE21 is a non-profit, independent grassroots information network for the Korean progressive movement. In addition to articles, bulletin boards, and links, we hope to soon establish a rapid response system for urgent struggles occurring all over the world--struggles against neo-liberalism, capitalism, anti-ASEM / Anti G8 Meeting / Anti - MD, etc.

Activities

1.      Korean NGO news Service
2.      International wire news Service
3.      On-line reporter making a news on his or her own voluntarily
4.      All these news will be supplied to whom worldwide readers wish to

Main Staff of Base21

PatchA - patcha@patcha.jinbo.net
Terry - parkterry@hotmail.com

Telephone (Office)

Tel. 82-2-7744-551 Fax 82-2-7744-553

It is a great honor and pleasure for us to introduce ourselves to you, an intellectual and progressive news guerrilla network. Please check out our website at base21.jinbo.net, and send us any questions or comments you may have, and we will get back to you as quickly as possible--thank you!