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Click picture to watch a slideshow of the rally (*.smil file, produced by Chamsaesang Broadcasting Center)

To commemorate the anniversary of the death of the legendary worker, Jeon Tae-Il, who sacrificed his life to demand worker's rights in the 70's, the KCTU held its annual Workers' Rally on 11th November, with 20,000 workers, student and activists.

Participants had already gathered in Seoul from various parts of the country for a cultural festival that continued throughout the night before. On the 11th, workers spread to 20 spots around the city to campaign and gathered together again for a pre-rally of public workers. The president of the Korean Teachers and Educational Workers' Union(KTEWU), Lee Soo-Ho, started off the demonstration by criticising the recent education reform package on the basis that it will undermine public education, and called for solidarity with the teachers' strike. Protestors then marched across the Mapo Bridge to Yeoido Park for the main rally. There were brief clashes with riot police who tried to block workers and students from pouring onto the road, and some ended up in the hospital. But the rest of the rally continued in an orderly fashion.

There were many issues that were addressed this day - the immediate release of the KCTU president Dan Byeong-Ho who was unjustly imprisoned, the reduction of working hours without sacrificing irregular workers, stop to neo-liberal privatisations, guarantee for university professors' union, stop to the war on Afghanistan and stop to the 7th Education Reform package.

Acting president of KCTU made the first speech and said, "we will strengthen solidarity between workers, farmers, and urban poor, through which we will struggle for the resignation of Kim Dae-Jung government and the release of Dan Byeong-Ho."
The chairperson of Korean Farmer's League, Jeong Gwang-Hoon, made an elaborate critique on neo-liberal globalization, the WTO, and the plans of the Korean government to liberalise the rice market and threaten the livelihood of small farmers in Korea. He finished off with the words, "farmers and workers much unite and fight against neo-liberalism, the WTO and structural adjustment, and manifest the arrogance and hypocrisy of the government."

The KCTU is planning to implement a mass vote of non-confidence among its 60,000 members, of the labour policies of the Kim Dae-Jung government. "The KCTU will continue its mobilization against the government's oppressive policies. We will unite with foreign trade unions and other grassroots organizations as part of our end-of-year strategy," a KCTU executive member said.

A huge number of irregular and laid-off workers came to the rally, notably the Korea Telecom workers who have been struggling for reinstatement for the last full year and workers from the Samsung Group. Many international participants were at the rally - those who had come to Korea to participate in the SIGTUR conference the previous week and also alternative media activists participating in the Asia Internet Rights Conference and the 2001 International Labour Media. However, some activists commented on the limits of the KCTU in organizing women workers, which eventually leads to isolation and lack of representation in the umbrella organization. The latter was manifested when representatives from various industries filed onto the stage to be introduced. The only woman who went on stage was Jeon Tae-Il's elderly mother. [PICIS]

By PICIS, picis@jinbo.net