COSATU has written to the president of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) to say that it has learnt with dismay of the situation of our fraternal trade unionists in South Korea, a developed country which still denies full trade union rights to its citizens.

COSATU had invited delegates from the KCTU to its 9th Congress, but they were unable to attend due to the pressure of the trade union struggle in their country.

The recent repressive actions of the South Korean government under the Roh Moon Hyun administration against two unions in particular are scandalous.

These unions are the KGEU (Korean Government Employees Union) and the KFCITU (Korean Federation of Construction Industry Trade Unions).

In the case of the KGEU the South Korean government has launched a fully fledged attack against the KGEU through a serious of actions, the most blatant being the coordinated forced closure of all local KGEU union offices of which there are 251 in the country. On Friday, September 22, the day after our COSATU 9th Congress closed in Midrand, the South Korean government sent in thousands of riot police across the country to use “any means necessary” to shut down the KGEU union offices.

In the words of a KGEU leader, “more than 100 municipalities nation wide turned into battle fields.” By the end of the day out of a total 251 local union offices, 81 were completely shut down. Many were injured and as a result some were hospitalised. Some KGEU members and their supporters were arrested and detained.

Across the country over 100 trade unionists have been imprisoned just for exercising their fundamental trade union rights---right to organize, the right to strike, and the right to bargain. The majority of those in jail are KFCITU members following a series of strikes conducted by KFCITU affiliates. The government habitually mobilizes thousands of riot police across the country to forcibly break KFCITU actions and strikes. At times, the police violence is extreme resulting in many injuries and in the case of Ha Joong Keun, a tragic death. This trade unionist died from injuries he suffered after several riot police repeatedly beat him on the head with their metal shield.

The KCTU has developed, and plans to implement, a national, comprehensive, strategic campaign to mobilize its 800,000 members against the South Korean government’s repressive efforts to undermine fundamental labour rights in South Korea.

The KCTU will launch a General Strike on November 15 and in conjunction with this strike, the KCTU calls on the international community to coordinate a series of actions and events to support their struggle.

COSATU is calling upon all its affiliates, its Alliance partners, and all civil society and social movements to do whatever they can to show solidarity with the workers of South Korea, focussing on the November 15th Day of Action.

Nationally and internationally, an Injury to one is an injury to all!

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