News

South Korea is an Asian Tiger mauling labour rights – that was the assessment of UNI Global Union General Secretary Philip Jennings following day one of a three day visit to Seoul.

Jennings is in the Korean capital to meet union leaders, many of whom are facing a brutal crackdown on labour rights piloted by Korean President Park Geun-Hye. Her anti-union drive has seen unions banned, union offices raided and ransacked, leaders and members arrested and punishing legal damages levelled against individual union members. Social dialogue has also disappeared from Park’s vocabulary.

Korea has refused to adhere to ILO standards and decisions and has broken commitments made to the OECD. The government, Jennings said, are acting inconsistently with the terms of its trade deal with the European Union.

“Korea has become the land of Park’s broken promises and the world needs to know what this government is doing,” Jennings said.

“In a world where trust in political leaders has plummeted, President Park can join the list of those who have backtracked on election promises,” Jennings said.

“I am greatly encouraged by the Korean unions’ commitments to work together to stem the anti-union tide.”

Jennings started the day by meeting recently elected FKTU President Kim Dong-Man. He also met with leaders of finance, ICTS, commerce and media unions. The two trade union centres FKTU and KCTU are resolved to stand up for the suffering Korean worker and have called for global union support.

Korea - once held as an example of how to successfully pair economic growth with wealth equality, is now suffering one of the widest gaps between rich and poor. The elderly, who were responsible for Korea’s incredible economic growth over the last 50 years that became known as the Han River miracle, are suffering worse than most. 49 per cent of elderly Koreans now live in poverty. The suicide rate amongst elder people is the highest in the OECD.

The mission continues tomorrow when Jennings takes his mission to the Korean parliament and address two public rallies.