Korean Activists Hold Strategy Workshop to Plan Struggles for the Upcoming WTO Ministerial
On 20th May, Korean People's Action against FTA & WTO(KoPA) held a "Strategy Workshop to Resist WTO 5th Ministerial".
Source : Korean People\'s Action against FTA & WTO
On 20th May, Korean People's Action against FTA & WTO(KoPA) held a "Strategy Workshop to Resist WTO 5th Ministerial". 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.
The first speaker was Yang Gi-Hwan, co-chair of KoPA executive committee, who stated that the WTO ministerial will be "an occasion to voice out total opposition against the WTO regime, which undermines the rights of the people and destroys society. It will also be an occasion through which we can expose the essence of the foreign investment oriented development strategies of the Noh Moo-Hyun government, as well as stimulating international solidarity of Korean movements with global movements against neoliberalism." He went on to propose mass education and propagation activities from June through August, series of intensive actions including sit-ins from the end of August until the Ministerial, a mass demonstration on 6th September, and organisation of a delegation to participate in the Cancun struggle.
Speakers from Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, Korean Farmer's League, Teacher's Union, People's Health Coalition for Equitable Society, Korean Federation of Environmental Movements and Korean People's Solidarity also shared their individual plans and contributed ideas. The participants concluded that activities should be concentrated against the Korea-Chile FTA and the Special Economic Zones in June. The Korea-Chile FTA, which will bring devastate small farmers in Korea, is scheduled to be ratified in the National Assembly in June, while the Special Economic Zone -literally "free investment zones"- are to be established from July. The force from the struggles against these national neoliberal policies should then continue till end of August and September to form broad national resistance against the WTO.
22nd May, 2003
Korean People's Action against FTA & WTO
2003 / -0 / 5-
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