Welcome to BASE21

(Translated by PICIS)

We, the democratic civic and social organizations which have struggled for democracy, social reform and peoples' rights of this country, state our opinion in deep concern of the fact that the present society is inclining towards retrogressive and destructive directions.

When the Kim Dae-Jung government came into power as the first government with democratic legitimacy in modern history, although without its insufficiencies, we had great expectations for the government to be different from other regimes. Conscious of our expectations, the President called itself the 'government of the people' and made promises to bring various democratic reforms and to concentrate on improving people's lives. Three years have passed - reforms have been lost, peoples' livelihoods have been destroyed and democracy has backfired, and the society has fallen into total crisis.

We cannot but be angry and appalled at the loss of reforms and the aggravation of human rights. This government had promised the abolishment of the National Security Law and the enactment of reformative legislatures such as the Anti-Corruption law, Human Rights Law and other laws related to politics. But in reality, only the seedless Anti-Corruption Law and the Human Rights Law have been passed, while the National Security Law which still bounds the freedom of expression and prevails as a weapon of authority by right-wing conservatives. Also, to our utmost dismay, policies which negate our right to knowledge and freedom of expression, and imprison people under censorship of authority are being introduced, such as the aggravation of laws on right of assembly, the introduction of the internet content rating, banning of online demonstrations and introduction of electronic health cards.

Also, as can be seen through the issue of the Private Education Law, the government has ruined education to be a mere playground for private interests under the pressure from corrupt officials, private education foundations collaborating with conservative forces. On the issue of bankrupcy of the health insurance, the government is ignoring fundamental alternatives to promote public health and is instead increasing the burden of ordinary peoples. The Saemangeum reclamation project, construction of development-oriented dams, arbitrary development of public lands such as the construction of Pangyo satellite city are among the government's policies that will destroy the environment and threaten the basis of life for our next generations.

We can only point out that these problems are caused by the government's economic policies that speak only for the benefit of transnational capital, which have brought about the destruction of livelihoods of the people. Neo-liberal restructuring based upon lay-offs and the expansion of part-time work has caused structural mass unemployment and instability of employment. Farmers are suffering under the plunge of prices of their products and eventual debt, caused by opening of the agricultural market. The 160 quadrillion won (approx. US$123 trillion) of public funds invested into insolvent financial and commercial capital are imputed solely onto the people. The unilateral and excessive privatization and the sell-offs of major basic industries to foreign capital are draining out national assets and deteriorating public services. Thus taxation burden upon the people has increased but employment is becoming increasingly unstable, there has been no reforms to the social welfare system, and polarization in the economy has widened. The poor become poorer and the rich richer. As a result, the economic policies of the present government has benefited only transnational capital and chaebeols while being a disaster for the majority of the people.

We deplore at the Kim Dae-Jung government which completely negates democracy through oppressive violence not through social consensus. The struggles of the workers headed by the KCTU, the struggles of the farmers and the urban poor, and the various democratic reform movement of the civic society were actions with righteous reasons. But the government has ignored all 'reasons' and suppressed all movements. As was seen at the sites of Daewoo Motors, Hyosung, cement-mixer drivers, and demolition of slums, the state power sometimes uses violent private security thugs. The present government has indicted 601 labour activists during the past three years, which is more than the precedent government indicted during its five-year rule. The latest cycle of suppression and resistance centered around the general strikes has its basis mostly in the tightened security policies against the labour movement.

We are also aware that the anti-reform inclination of the Kim Dae-Jung government is accelerated by its retrogressive coalition with conservative forces and political maneuvers from unreasonable right-wing opposition parties which are only concerned with seizing power. After the failure of General Elections, the present government formed stronger alliance with other right-wing parties to overcome its weak base, betrayed the expectations of the nation and gave up all its promises of reform. The attempts to construct a memorial hall for former dictator Park Jung-Hee is yet another example of how the government has given up reforms, sacrificed the lives of the people and is thus laying out the foundation for the reappearance of right-wing groups into the government.

The conservative right-wing groups led by the Grand National Party is not hesitating to commit acts in defiance of history, to instigate social disintegration in the interests of winning the next election, taking advantage of the government's loss of direction and confusion. It is propagating antagonism against North Korea, digging up ideological propaganda and also manipulating regional disputes. It is destroying the wishes of the Korean peoples for peace and integration. If it does not change its attitude of political manipulation, it will face stern judgement of the people.

The media also has responsibilities in deepening the present situation. Conservative media has continuously made distorted reports, and together with the Grand National Party, instigating regional disputes and ideological propaganda.. As was recently manifested by the Taxation Office, major newspapers have also been involved in illegal tax evasion. We are appalled by the fact that the newspapers are not deeply reflecting on their acts of the past but are instead deepening social chaos with their logic of 'delude the world and deceive the people'.

We, the representatives of democratic civic and social organizations, have gathered here today,
with deep concern at the loss of reforms and the backfire of democracy, and demand an official meeting between the president and the representatives of organizations to overcome this present situation.

The government should accommodate the yearning demands of the people, promote democratic reforms and establish economic policies that reflect the interests of the nation and the people. If the present government does not accept the wishes of the people and head along the road to reform and true democracy, we solemnly state that it will face the stern judgement of the people and history. We demand that the government implement the following measures.

- The government must respect democracy, immediately stop the oppressive maneuvers and suppression against the KCTU, policies that negate the basic rights of workers, and stop the violent suppression of movements for the livelihood and reform of the people and the civic society. It must cancel the warrant for the arrest of the KCTU president Dan Byeong-Ho, as an expression that it is willing to solve problems through conversation.

- The government must stop neo-liberal economic policies that threaten the lives of the people, and establish economic measures that are based on autonomy, in respect for the lives of the people.

- The government must abolish the National Security Law and other laws that oppress the freedom of expression, such as the aggravation of rights on assembly, internet censorship and the introduction of electronic health cards.

- The government must enact the Private Education Law, immediately withdrawl the its education policies based on neo-liberal standpoints. It must establish mid/long-term education and academic policies that realize public education.

- The investigation and legal proceedings on tax evading media enterprises and corrupt entrepreneurs must not be called off through last-minute compromise, and fundamental reforms such as restriction on stockholding percentage and independence of editor rights, must be made so that the media can play its original role of keeping authoritative power in check.

- The government must withdraw the Saemangeum reclamation project, construction of development-oriented dams and arbitrary development of public lands such as the construction of Pangyo satellite city, and immediately establish land development projects that are environment-friendly.

- The government must withdraw its neo-liberal agricultural policies such as the Korea-China negotiations on garlic trade and Korea-Chile FTA, and recover agriculture which is the basis of the national economy.

- The government must stop all measures related to the bankrupcy of the health insurance which will only increase the burden of the majority, and must introduce fundamental reforms that will enhance public health.

11th July, 2001

Democratic civic and social organizations concerned with the present situation of loss of reform, destruction of peoples' livelihood and backfire in democracy