‘Korean People’s Action Against Neoliberal Globalization’ Takes Off

- Broad mobilizations expected to take place against WTO

While capital and the government are continuously involving themselves in corrupt and corroborative practices as well as illegitimate governance, ordinary peoples of Korea suffer from severer poverty and discrimination. The Noh Moo-Hyun government has adopted - and continues to do so - series of policies that destroy agriculture and food sovereignty, privatize and commercialize public services, expand irregular labour and suppress resistance of the people.

In addition to these national policies, the Korean government is hosting the APEC Summit in November in Busan, driving hard towards the WTO Ministerial in December in Hong Kong, and promoting bilateral free trade agreements (FTAs) with several countries including ASEAN, Canada, Mexico, Japan, US, on top of the already existing FTAs with Chile, Singapore and the European Free Trade Area. So-called free trade agreements have already proven to be disastrous for peoples and the environment all over the world.

Movements in Korea felt the need to from a broad solidarity front in order to effectively counteract and mobilize the masses against the various neoliberal policies enforced from all directions, against the upcoming WTO Ministerial as well as the various bilateral FTAs that are scheduled to be promoted during the latter part of 2005. This formed the motive for the formation of the ’People’s Action against Neoliberal Globalization’, a temporary structure to bring together and unite different coalitions and organizations that are active in respective fields. The new network officially inaugurated on 26^th August 2005, with the first Heads of Organizations meeting.

The aims of the new network are to continue the efforts of joint struggle by various movements and organizations, such as the struggle against the World Economic Forum East Asia Summit in June 2004, series of demonstrations during November 2004 against the Korea-Japan FTA, liberalization of education and other public services, and actions against the WTO GATS negotiations of May 2005; to promote unity and solidarity among mass organizations, coalitions, NGOs and organizations that are active in a variety of fields; to concentrate capacity of the anti-globalization movement; to counteract effectively against the upcoming WTO General Council and Ministerial meetings, as well as the ’multi-track’ FTAs; and to act as a joint struggle body that expands issues and agents of anti-globalization movement at the same time seeks long-term vision of the people’s movement against neoliberal globalization

Some of the many activities include actions against the WTO - general council meetings and of course, the Ministerial - mobilizations against APEC together with ’Korean People’s Action against APEC and Bush (temporary network against APEC Summit)’ and formation of a ’joint struggle delegation’ to send to Hong Kong against the WTO Ministerial. Furthermore, the network will undergo analysis and counteraction against bilateral FTAs scheduled to be negotiated or finalized during the year, as well as against domestic liberalization measures such as policies to commercialize and privatize public services, liberalization of agriculture etc.

The network has gathered together four major coalitions - Korean People’s Solidarity, Korean People’s Action against FTAs and WTO (KoPA), Korean Education Solidarity and Korean Labour Social Network on Energy - and around 40 individual organizations, including trade unions, peasant organizations, political parties, NGOs and social movement organizations.°·

 Preparations for Hong Kong Well on Its Way

Preparations for the struggles against the upcoming WTO Ministerial are well on its way. As was the case in Cancun - when 200 activists from various organizations jointly formed the ‘Korean Struggle Delegation’ - various movements and organizations affiliated to People’s Action will form a joint ‘Korean People’s Struggle Delegation against WTO HK Ministerial’.

The number of participants who will travel to Hong Kong is numbering 2,000 - it will be the largest delegation ever from Korea to participate in an ‘off-shore struggle’ - including hundreds of small peasants and many rank-and-file workers, as well as activists and intellectuals. 1,200 peasants from the two major peasant organizations - the KPL and KWPA - along with 300 from other farmer/agricultural organizations form the largest contingency within the delegation while the labour confederations, KCTU and FKTU, will mobilize around 100 and 25 workers respectively. Several prominent left/progressive intellectuals will also join the delegation, as well as activists from many other organizations such as Korean People’s Solidarity, People’s Solidarity for Social Progress, Altogether, Korean Education Solidarity and Joint Committee for Migrant Workers etc.

Organizations are undergoing internal education programs, actions against the ongoing various domestic liberalization measures, such as liberalization and commercialization of healthcare and education, and flexibilization of labour. Street campaigns are planned during the period running up to December, and discussions is taking place on how to mobilize a strong demonstration during the WTO ministerial here in Korea.

The 2,000-strong ‘Korean People’s Struggle Delegation against Hong Kong WTO Ministerial’ will officially inaugurate at the end of November. °·

Korean People’s Action Holds Protest and Press Conference against WTO General Council - Meeting Takes Place with Ministry Of Foreign Affairs & Trade

On 19^th October, representatives from various organizations and movements gathered in front of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Trade (MOFAT) in the form of a press conference to protest against the WTO General Council meeting.

Yoon Geum-Soon, president of Korean Women Peasants Association, said, “To them, this meeting may be very important because several ministerial meetings have already collapsed. The 2,000-strong Korean delegation is determined to fight hard with the aim of stopping the WTO negotiations.”

Kim Se-Gyun, joint president of Professors for a Democratic Society commented, “Social polarization is becoming very serious due to neoliberal globalization. The WTO agenda serves only the interests of transnational monopoly capital, not so-called ‘free trade’.

Lee Seong-Woo, secretary general of Public Services Union, said, “The government has the responsibility of protecting the lives of its people. However, it is deplorable that the government is doing nothing while poverty and disease spread.”

Through a statement, the participants called for an immediate stop to the DDA negotiations and the attempts to ratify the WTO bilateral rice negotiations as well as the adoption of so-called ‘benchmark’ approach in the GATS negotiations, which the Korean government is pushing hard for.

After the protest, delegates from various sectors met Lee Gae-Ghil, ambassador in charge of DDA negotiations within MOFAT. The delegates delivered their criticisms and concerns, while the ambassador merely repeated that the WTO is vital to the development of ‘export-oriented’ Korean economy. The meeting went on for more than an hour, however, the discussion ran in a parallel. More plans will be made to exert pressure on the Korean government.

In the meantime, one representative from Korean Peasants League participated in the various activities in Geneva as part of the Via Campesina delegation. °·