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December 7, 1999

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U R G E N T

Riot Police Stampedes the KCTU Sit-in Protest

Tens of Unionists Dragged Away and Injured
Including Lee Soo-ho, KCTU General Secretary

Send protest letters to President Kim Dae Jung,

urging the government to end the repression of the KCTU (e-mail)

At 6 p.m., December 7, several hundred riot police stormed the sit-in site, attacking the KCTU unionists for about half an hour. The riot police cleared the sit-in site of protesting unionists and stole away the "cargo container" the KCTU had prepared to keep away the winter chill during the night.

In the process of the stampede, three KCTU officials, including the KCTU General Secretary Lee Soo-ho was severely injured. Mr Lee was dragged out of the cargo container -- the temporary sit-in room -- by the riot police. Due to the rough handling, his left knee was roughly twisted. He is currently unable to move his left leg, suspected of ruptured knee ligaments.

Mr. Kim Young-je, the KCTU Director for Reunification Affairs was also injured while being dragged out of the container room. He was trampled on by riot police, and dumped head first into to riot police bus. He was then beaten by several riot police on his neck, shoulders, and back. He is taken to a hospital, but doctors are unable to take X-ray pictures because of the pain in his shoulders.

Jang Kwang-su, the General Secretary of Korean Federation of Construction Daily Workers Unions, was badly beaten by the riot police with the batons on his hands. As a result, many of his fingers are suspected of crushing fracture.

The riot police dragged away and arrested some 20 KCTU unionists and dumped the three KCTU officials along the way. Included among the arrested are Mr Shin Ern-jik, the KCTU Director for Organising Department, and unionists from the Sammi Specialty Steel Workers Union.

Send protest letters to President Kim Dae Jung,

urging the government to end the repression of the KCTU (e-mail)

The riot police raid of the KCTU sit-in site took place in the second day of the sit-in protest action demanding the passage of 10 reform legislation.

On December 6, the KCTU began the sit-in action (press to see the picture), expected to last to December 18, the last day of the current regular session of the National Assembly. The sit-in is the continuation of the sit-in action by human rights groups who have been spearheading the campaign for the abolition of the National Security Law, that started last week, led by Catholic priests.

KCTU, together with many of the major people's oganisations and social movement groups, formed a broad coalition to demand the passage of reform legislation. Included in the demand are: the enactment of a special law for the reduction of working hours, the abolition of the National Security Law, the amendment of Politics Reform Act for the eradication of political corruption and comprehensive political reform, the enactment of a Human Right Act, the enactment of a special law to investigate the suspicious deaths and restoration of the honour of democratic martyrs, the enactment of a universal broadcasting law, the enactment of the legislations for a universal health insurance system and the amendment of the law governing the practice of pharmacists, the amendment of education laws (including the amendment of regional education autonomy law, special law for education in rural and seaside community, law for the compensation of teachers denied appointment due to their involvement in democratic movement, pre-school children education act), and the enactment of a law to eradicate corruption.

The sit-in also raised the trade union demand to nullify the government plan to privatise and sell off electricity industry to foreign concern, the privatisation of the Hankook Heavy Industry and state hospitals. Another key issue of the sit-in is the trade union opposition to the unilateral restructuring of the Daewoo companies.

Apart from the demands concerning structural adjustment programme, the sit-in also raised the demand for the release of all imprisoned trade unionists.

The sit-in action was to be the focus of the plan for two week long demonstration and campaign to pressure the government in the last days of the National Assembly.

Send protest letters to President Kim Dae Jung,

urging the government to end the repression of the KCTU (e-mail)

In response to the brutal action of the government against the peaceful protest action, the KCTU special Central Executive Committee decided to hold an immediate protest rally on December 8.

The Central Executive Committee decided to call on the government to release all the arrested unionists immediately; to restore the KCTU sit-in site to the original state, to make an official apology for the action by the President Kim Dae Jung and Prime Minister Kim Jong Pil.

The Central Executive Committee decided to launch a campaign calling for President Kim Dae Jung step down if these demands are not met. The Committee also decided to continue the sit-in action. The Central Executive Committee advised all the member local unions to begin a protest sit-in action in their workplace by the union officials.

The police stampede of the KCTU sit-in is very difficult to understand, as the newly appointed Blue House Presidential Chief Secretary Mr Han Kwang-ok was scheduled to meet with the KCTU president Dan Byung-ho on December 8.

The KCTU emergency Central Executive Committee concluded that the police action was aimed at cutting short the KCTU protest action, master-minded by the security elements in the government. The police action is, it is believed, to stop the spread of protest action leading into a massive public rally on December 10, led by the KCTU and the Korean Farmers Federation.

The sudden savage police action was taken at a time when the government is swamped in messy problems brought about by the work of special independent counsels. The government was forced to appoint special independent prosecutorial counsel last months on two prominent cases. One involved the investigate the planned provocation of a strike at the Korea Mint by the public authority and the other the investigation of the cover-up by the presidential staff and prosecutors' office of the implication of top government officials and their wives in illegal lobby attempt by the head of a chaebol insurance company.

The extent of the public frustration with the government can also be noted from the sit-in by the leadership of the Federation of Korean Trade Unions (FKTU), the other national organisation of trade unions) in the offices of the ruling party and the Federation of Korean Industries (FKI), the national lobby body of the conglomerate firms.

Send protest letters to President Kim Dae Jung,

urging the government to end the repression of the KCTU (e-mail)