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On 2nd December, 25,000 workers, farmers, students and the urban poor crowded onto the streets of central Seoul for the Korea People's Rally. The national rally was organised by the Korean People's Solidarity, which is a broad nation-wide coalition of trade unions and social organisations. The rally brought together in solidarity, people from various social sectors, all angered by the neo-liberal policies of the Kim administration, which has brought lay-offs and instability of jobs for workers, threat to the livelihood of small farmers and urban poor, and privatisation and liberalisation of basic social services.

Sectoral pre-rallies -the workers', the farmers', the urban poor and students' rallies- were held from 13:00 within a few blocks from each other in 4 different parts of Seoul, by the four representative umbrella organisations within the Korean People's Solidarity. The main target of the 3,500-strong urban poor, mainly comprised of those earning a living through small streetside stalls, was the much-hyped 2002 World Cup Games which will kick off next June. As is the case with major international events around the world, the government is undergoing austere measures to 'cleanse' the streets, many of the times supported by local thugs. A leader of the urban poor organisation, Kim Heung-Hyun, said in his speech, "You have all seen the drawing of competition groups yesterday amidst the World Cup fever. This is precisely the festival of those who have all, those who own all the wealth, while numbing the majority of peoples. Their colourful dazzling lights and gestures deafen the demands of the people. Underneath it all, there are only the hidden ambitions of capitalists."

Just a few blocks away, 10,000 farmers were expressing their anger at the WTO and the government's plans to liberalise the rice market, devastating the lives of small farmers and also threatening food security, since rice is the stable food of Koreans. Rice was the only agricultural product that remained more or less protected from the claws of free trade, but the recent WTO Ministerial Meeting in Doha pressured the obscure Korean government to make 'substantial' steps to speed up the liberalisation process of the rice market. Korean farmers had already demonstrated against the measures a few weeks ago, at the National Farmer's Rally. (click for article on Farmer's Rally). Farmers, wearing rice sacks, burnt sacks of rice and scarecrows, while some of them fought with the police with their bamboo sticks. Another 10,000 gathered nearby for the worker's rally. The workers' main demands were reduction of working hours without deterioration of working conditions, release of imprisoned workers including the KCTU president Dan Byeong-Ho, stop to the series of privatisations and restructuring, and the abolishment of the irregular working system. The Public Services Union had recently implemented a vote for a strike in defiance of government's privatisation plans. Despite that the strikes are not yet underway, already arrest warrants for main union leaders have been issued. Daewoo Motors workers were also there, campaigning about the brutal attack on workers in April, and the Railroad workers who had elected their first democratic leader in history this year(click to see related article) while vowing to fight privatisation of railroad services. Irregular and laid-off workers of Korea Telecom and Samsung also participated in large numbers.

Students also held their own pre-rally, criticising the recent education reform package that foresees liberalisation of public education in favour of private education(click to see related article). Universities had recently undergone student union elections, and the newly elected left-wing student leaders came out to vow their support and solidarity to the workers, farmers and the urban poor in their fight against neo-liberalism and the Kim Dae-Jung government.

The four pre-rallies each finished off at around 15:00 and started to march to Chong-myo Park for the main rally. It was truly an exciting moment, when the 20,000 farmers and workers met and converged at a crossroad, and started to march together shouting "Let's overthrow the Kim Dae-Jung government through strong solidarity between farmers and workers!" Students joined in and the protesters marched to the Park where the urban poor were already having their demonstration. The leaders of the four sectors made their speeches once again, while emphasizing the need for a broad solidarity. Criticisms were also made at the US waging its military war on Afghanistan, and its economic war on the peoples of the world. There was not enough space inside the Park to accommodate the 25,000 people who had gathered there, and many remained occupying the 8-lane road outside. There were brief clashes with the police, and few farmers were seriously hurt by the notorious '1001 squadron' of the Seoul Metropolitan Riot Police. (click for video footage of the '1001 squadron' attack on farmers -video by Jinbonet News (realplayer))

The Korean people's movement has always held national people's rallies of the sort, but never before was there such a strong sense of solidarity between the various sectors of the oppressed class. Connections between the demands of the workers, farmers, urban poor and students were made and truly felt by all those who were there. This pertains to the expansion of the effects of globalisation and free trade to other sectors such as the public services and agriculture, and the people's movement aligning itself accordingly. The recent militant reactions of farmers to the WTO meeting and the rice policies of the Kim administration lighted the spark for the farmers to join the workers in their fight against neo-liberal restructuring, while the workers realised that liberalisation of rice and the threat to farmers come from the very forces that kick them out of their jobs. The various progressive forces in Korea are facing the urgent need to form a common front, and this rally played a definite part.

Another positive development of the Korean people's movement that manifested itself during the People's Rally was the expansion of anti-US and anti-imperialism slogans throughout the entire movement. Anti-US or anti-imperialism slogans have traditionally been used mainly by the nationalists in a somewhat narrow context of criticising the presence of US forces in Korea as an obstacle in the reunification process, while the left-wing groups had been reluctant to express definite opposition to the US and imperialism. However, especially after the 9.11 tragedy and also the recent WTO meeting in Doha, anti-US feelings are definitely on the rise in Korea, not in terms of 'reunificiation' but in terms of opposition to US and its imperialist allies' military and economic domination around the world. Opposition to US and imperialism is being expanded from its narrow boundaries to express the resistance and defiance of the Korean people against the imperialist and neo-liberal globalisation in its totality.

Hopefully, we will see the continuation of such solidarity in Korea, that establishes a broad front against imperialism and neo-liberal globalisation, and stemming from that, the sense of internationalism and solidarity with the peoples of the Third World who are fighting for the same cause.