Welcome to BASE21

Jeong Gue-sun, President of FWR

On Dec. 10th President Kim Dae-jung was awarded in Oslo, Norway. Really it was glad and happy for all Koreans who don't have had any honorable and formal president. But when he left Korea to receive the prize we couldn't congratulate to him with our whole heart.
Because improvement policies of the human rights which Koreans expected with South and North Korea summit talk are back now - organization of the national human rights council for protecting human rights from violence by government, abolish the National Security Law which have oppressed Korean people's thoughts and speech for 50 years, abolish Trainee System as like new slave system for migrant workers in Korea.
Even we expected to enact new migrant workers law, EPS was not discussed in this ordinary General Assembly and already ordinary General Assembly was finished.
After president Kim Dae-jung ordered to improve migrant workers' human rights in Korea in last May, the government party, New Millenium Democracy Party collected opinions about the policy of migrant workers' human rights and planned to abolish Trainee System and to enact EPS.
During this discussion was going on, Mr. Park Sang-hee who is the president of KFSB and a member of General Assembly of nationwide constituency of NMDP suggested opposit opinion strongly. And small company bosses in Daegu city was held demonstration against EPS. Even we experienced to fail to enact the improvement law for migrant workers human rights in 1997.
We expected to success this time because of government's will. But 'maybe' finished 'as well'. The policy of human rights is facing difficulties because of fail of economic policy.
And we feel something wanting during this process of propel for enacting the migrant workers new law, it is that migrant workers couldn't act themselves. Because migrant workers worried their forced departure for police or immigration officer when they did some action. So we think their fear can reduce for the solidarity of many Koreans.
Also we feel something wanting about the lack of Korean labors attention as same labors beyond nationalities. Even we couldn't success the small improvement this year, we have to start again. We try to increase our voice.