Dear Colleagues,

Greetings of solidarity from Korea.

The various movements and organizations in Korea have formed an organizing committee to prepare for the struggle against the World Economic Forum (WEF)on 12^th and 13^th June, together with the Asia Social and Peoples Movements Assembly of 14^th and 15^th June.
We are disseminating an open proposal for the Assembly, which we would like for you to read and endorse. We will be updating endorsers as we go along. We also attach a short information sheet on the activities against the WEF in June.

Please feel free to contact us.

In Solidarity,
Lee Changgeun
International Director, Korean Confederation of Trade Unions
(on behalf of the Korean Organizing Committee for Joint Action against WEF)

5fl. Daeyoung Bldg. 139 Youngdeungpo-2-Ga
Youngdeungpo-Ku, Seoul 150-982
Korea
Tel: ++82 2 2636-0165
Fax: ++82 2 2635-1134
Email: inter kctu.org

No to Neoliberal Globalization! No to Imperialist Wars and Dispatch of Troops! No to World Economic Forum!

Open Proposal to Organize a Asia Social and Peoples’ Movement Assembly
14^th-15^th June, 2004

After the economic crisis of 1997, countries in Asia started to fully adopt neoliberal policies dictated by the Structural Adjustment Programs of the IMF and the World Bank, and began to be incorporated into the global neoliberal regime. Liberalization of finance and investment, privatization of public sector, flexibilization of labour and enforcement of ’free trade’ through the WTO and free trade agreements all impoverished the lives of the Asian peoples. In particular, after the collapse of the WTO Ministerial in Cancun, the move to consolidate bilateral free trade agreements has accelerated, as well as the attempt to integrate the Asian region.

Asia also has a very important geopolitical significance for the US and imperialist forces, who are imposing their military strategies in order to protect the interests of transnational capital. Recently, along with the war and occupation of Iraq, the ’War against Terrorism’ is bringing militarist tensions in the Korean peninsula, as well as in all parts of Asia. This military drive is a continuation of the long historical plundering of the region by imperialists and is within the more recent strategic context of enforcing neoliberal policies and facilitating the activities of transnational capital.

The strategies adopted by capital are leading to the explosion of resistance of the Asian peoples. Of course, the struggles of the Asian peoples have been long and broad, however, it is also evident that our voice against neoliberalism and imperialism has grown bigger in the recent years. Peasants fighting against trade liberalization, workers resisting against privatization, women struggling against patriarchy, people protecting water and the environment, broad solidarity against militarism, diverse grassroots movements resisting racism and fundamentalism...

Although there have been many attempts to form a broad solidarity of Asian movements, the recent political and economic developments in Asia emphasizes once again for diverse movements in the region to form a common agenda and strategy for struggle. Asian peoples need to lead and play an important part in the global resistance against the WTO Ministerial that is scheduled to take place in Hong Kong, and also against the imperialist strategies being implemented in the region. Many social and peoples’ organizations and movements have thus recognized the need to come together to debate on our common agendas and strategies for future struggles against neoliberal globalization and imperialism.

We propose to take the occasion of the World Economic Forum East Asia Summit (named “Asia Strategy Round Table”), which will be held in Seoul, Korea, from 13^th to 15^th June, to come together for the above purposes. We propose the various movements in Asia to mobilize against the World Economic Forum on 13^th June, and to organize an assembly on 14^th and 15^th June in Seoul, Korea, through which we can voice out our resistance against the strategy meetings of the ruling elite and discuss our future struggles. This assembly will be open to all social and peoples’ movements of the region.

We ask all organizations and movements who agree to endorse this proposal and take the initiative to organize and mobilize for the Asia Social and Peoples’ Movements Assembly.

11^th May, 2004

Endorsed by (as of May 11, 2004) :

Alliance of Progressive Labor(Philippines)
Asia Pacific Mission for Migrants
Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development
ATTAC - JAPAN
Bharat Gyan Vigyan Samiti (BGVS)
Center for Labour Information Service & Training
DAWN-Southeast Asia
Focus on the Global South
Focus on the Global South(Philippines)
FSPI-Federation of Indonesian Peasant Union
General Federation of Nepalese Trade Unions(GEFONT, Nepal)
Globalization Monitor(HongKong)
Hametin Agricultura Sustentave Timor Leste
HongKong Confderation of Trade Union
Institute of Global Justice
Institut Ungu
International Gender & Trade Network-Asia
Kilusang Mangingisda-KM
KMU, May First Movement(Philippines)
Korean Organising Committee for Joint Action against WEF
East Asia Summit
Local Thai Whiskey Network
Labor Education and Research Network
La’o Hamutuk
No to WTO Voice from the Grassroots in Japan
No to Japan-Korea FTA Campaign in Japan
PDS
Philippine Peasant Institute
Thai Action on Globalisation Network
Tambuyog Development Center
ZENROKYO, National Council of Trade Unions(Japan)