Korean labour leader
South Korean union leader Kwon Yong Gil will run for the presidency on December 18, as candidate for dissidents and labour groups. He promises "to introduce a new form of politics ruled by workers, farmers, and urban grass-roots."
Some 2,000 dissidents and labour activists issued a joint resolution nominating Kwon. The 56 year old journalist is president of the 500,000 member Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), which he led during the general strike earlier this year.
As well as the KCTU, Kwon is backed by the 50,000 member National Alliance for Democracy and Re-unification of
Korea, an umbrella group of dissidents who supported the radical labour movement during the general strike at the beginning of the year.
The first rally, on November 8th, brought 30,000 people to the riverside park close to the National Assembly building. It was surrounded by large numbers of police with clubs and riot shields. The KCTU is still an illegal organisation in Korea. The rally was completely ignored by the Korean press.
Faced with such intimidation and censorship the KCTU does not expect to banned from public release in Korea.
According to Australian cinema studies lecturer Chris Berry, "in its first year last year the Pusan Festival established a strong reputation partly because it was one of the few uncensored film festivals in Asia." * Contact: 1st Seoul Queer Film and Video Festival, Nakwon-dong 195-1, Midong Bd #301, Chongno-ku, Seoul, ROK Korea, tel:82-2-766-5626, fax: 82-2-7660598, e-mail: "queer21 @interpia.net" Source: Cine 21 film magazine, Seoul, South Korea. get a big vote in the election, but sees it as an opportunity to expose the fraudulent nature of Korean democracy and to establish democratic rights for labour and other progressive forces in Korea.
While many South Korean politicians face accusations of corruption, Kwon is currently facing trial for Third Party Intervention (involvement in industrial action at Seoul Subway and Hyundai Heavy Industry), Traffic Law (for organising and leading a march following the launching of KCTU), Illegal Collection of Donations (for running a newspaper advertisement for public fund-raising in support of KCTU), Illegal Entry into Private Property (for holding an open air workers rally for the launching of KCTU at a university ground), and Violation of the Law on Assembly and Demonstrations (for holding a workers rally for the launching of KCTU). After many months of working underground, he was arrested in November 1995, and released on bail in March 1996. [JD] * Chris Bailey contributed material for this article. Contact: Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), 4th Fl. Samsun Bidg., 12-1 Samsun-Dong 1 Ga, Sungbuk-ku, Seoul 136-041 765-2011 E-mail: <[email protected]> Web: http://kctu.org , Korea. Tel: +82-2-3673-0685 Fax: +82-2See also www.solinet.org/LEE/korea.html
INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR RESEARCH AND EDUCATION
The Chinese Revolution and the Shaping of the Maoist Outlook
Pierre Rousset
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23 runs for president