From Seattle to Prague.............to Seoul !!!!!!! KCTU President's Speech at O20 Rally (Oct. 18th) The Government is doing all that it can to prevent O20 struggle(Oct. 16th) People's struggle has been already started for O20
struggle!(Oct. 8th) Solidarity Message to Prague!(Oct. 2nd) Your solidarity is needed for the 'ASEM 2000 Seoul Day of Action Against Neo-Liberal Globalization'!!!! The progressive sector of Korea is busy preparing for the start of the Asia Europe Meeting, not because of the meaningless rhetoric that will go on inside the venue of the meetings between the state heads, but because of the live voices that will be present in the streets outside of the venue. The preparatory committee of the ASEM 2000 Seoul Day of Action Against Neo-Liberal Globalization consists of the Korean People's Action Against Investment Treaties and the WTO(or KoPA), the People's Rally Committee, and the ASEM 2000 Social Forum Committee. KoPA, composed of 40 social, labor, and civic organizations including Korean Confederation of Trade Union(KCTU), Korean Farmer's League(KFL), has actively struggled against investment treaties, international financial institutions such as the IMF, and the WTO. The People's Rally Committee is composed of major people's organizations in Korea, including the KCTU, the KFL, and the National Union of the Poor. The major civic organizations in Korea make up the ASEM 2000 Social Forum Committee. As the title of the actions suggest, the actions will be a uniform voice of adamant opposition to the world-wide free trade system of modern day capitalism and the 'race towards the bottom' it enforces upon the people of the world. It will be a joint project between the civic, social, and people's movements, bringing together workers, farmers, the poor, students, women, environmentalists, health care activists, unification movement activists and more in the fight against globalization. Why the actions at the ASEM? The reasons are clear: the meeting itself will not reach an agreement that will have to be observed by participating states. However, the meeting itself, and the actions by governments participating in the meetings have made cleat their commitment to the furthering of free trade and globalization through various channels. Through empirical observations (President Kim Dae-Jung has made it clear that he plans to continue with re-structuring through the second half of his term as president. Labor Parties and Social Democratic Parties in Europe seem to be on the same path) and through the plans laid out by the previous summit meetings in London and preparatory meetings for the meeting in Seoul. The people of Korea, though we know international opinions vary on the topic, know all to well at what effects the IMF crisis and the forced re-structuring program which followed, have had on the people of Korea and Korean society in general. Increasing dependency on foreign economies and international trends, increasing economic instability, lay-offs, unstable jobs, rise in unemployment, the polarization of wealth, the dismantling of social unity, and an overall decrease in the standards of living, among many others. The past 3 years after the IMF crisis have been an almost constant battle for the socially oppressed of Korea, in defense of labor rights that had been gained through years of struggle. The progressive sector of Korea also realize the importance of continuing with what has become the latest trend of international solidarity in the progressive movement, and plan on using the actions at the meetings to engage in an active dialogue with the people of Korea on just what neo-liberalism has meant to Korea and what alternatives exist. There is much at stake, and clear cut goals in relation to this struggle for the people of Korea as well. The Korean Farmer's League and the KCTU are feeling the pressure from the government's continuing efforts to conclude a bi-lateral investment treaty with the U.S. and Japan. The treaties are filled with clauses similar to the ones in the Multi-lateral Agreement on Investment, defeated by international resistance a couple years ago. The Kim Dae-Jung government is also seeking to commence with plans for the 2nd part of the restructuring of the public sector, and are also planning on further liberalization and opening up of the national economy. The actions during the ASEM meetings will be a cry against the neo-liberal policies of the Kim Dae-Jung government, as well as neo-liberal trends of globalization as a whole. It probably doesn't need to be pointed out that isolation could have devastating effects on the struggle here in Korea. People's organizations and trade unions in Korea know all to well the barbaric tactics the police use to crack down on demonstrations and strikes, and the same could happen to the direct actions at the ASEM meetings. We have already seen in previous struggles in Seattle and Washington what kind of pressure that international support and solidarity can put on the government, especially one which advertises its leader as being the 'human rights president'. This sort of pressure is especially important in Korea, where suppression of demonstrations often turn violent, as seen in the crackdown on the Lotte Hotel workers' strike several months ago. Your interest and solidarity is critical if the actions in Seoul are to succeed. With less than a month left now until the day of the actions in Seoul, we do realize that time is running short on us. It took longer than expected for the progressive sector in Korea to arrive at an agreement on the course and theme of the actions. We are working with a sense of urgency and our doing our best to make up for the late start. We are paying close attention to the developments in Prague, where activists with the same issues and causes as ours will be gathering to demand an end to the destruction and oppression stemming from neo-liberal globalization and the international financial institutions which enforce its policies. Our solidarity and full support to the
struggle in Prague! More information on the actions can be seen at: Regular updates on the preparations for the ASEM action can be
heard through the internet broadcasts at: http://cast.jinbo.net/news/yundai.html Korean People's Action against Investment Treaties
and the WTO(KoPA)
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