At the end of 2013, in
my last Advanced Class of the year, my students started telling me the news of
recent protests concerning the privatization of South Korea's national railroad
Korail and the government's disturbing response. From what I understand, the
Korean Federation of Trade Unions (KCTU) began striking December 8th and continued till the
end of the year in response to the government's privatization plans. The
government in turn met the protests with force with 136
KCTU officials and members arrested. This incident is only the latest in
the Park, Geun-hye administration's laundry list of crime and corruption. The persecution of
people's rights to protest, the refusal to participate in democratic dialogues
with its people and the Orwellian suppression of information has finally
resulted in backlash from the general public. This has led to the "I'm Not
Fine" (aka "Are You Alright?") Protest Movement.
On December 12, 2013, Ju
Hyun-woo, a 27-year old Korea University student posted a hand-written letter to a
bulletin board on his university campus where
he called his peers to greater awareness and concern for what was happening in
their country's administration. Here is a copy of that letter found on the “I'm
Not Fine" Movement's Facebook Page.
The Letter
Hello. How are
you?
1. Yesterday, after striking for one day, thousands of workers lost their jobs. For no other reason than to oppose the privatization of the rail roads, 4,213 people were relieved from their positions. President Park Geun-hye punished the workers who protested against the privatization of the railroads, something which she herself promised that she would not engage in without first obtaining the people’s permission. It is possible that even the right to strike, which is part of the country’s “Labor Laws,” that were enacted after the self-immolation of Jeon Tae-il could also disappear.
1. Yesterday, after striking for one day, thousands of workers lost their jobs. For no other reason than to oppose the privatization of the rail roads, 4,213 people were relieved from their positions. President Park Geun-hye punished the workers who protested against the privatization of the railroads, something which she herself promised that she would not engage in without first obtaining the people’s permission. It is possible that even the right to strike, which is part of the country’s “Labor Laws,” that were enacted after the self-immolation of Jeon Tae-il could also disappear.
That is because any protest against the government or against capital is going to be designated as being illegal. Despite the numerous times we have been told about the fraud in last year’s presidential election and the fact that there had been illegal interference in the election by government officials, a member of the National Assembly who has the right to vote to impeach the president was expelled from the National Assembly for daring to suggest resignation. It is difficult to imagine that we are living in the 21st century.
In one rural town, a high voltage electrical tower was installed, which has resulted in the suicide of one of the town’s residents. Furthermore, for the crime of “dining and dashing,” workers who have lost their jobs are being fined millions of won and being sentenced to prison. In these dubious times, I do not know how anyone can be all right.
2. Known as “The ₩880,000 Generation,” the world thinks of us as a generation that has never known what it is to be poor; an affluent generation. A generation that knows nothing about politics or economics or what is going on in the rest of the world. However, wasn’t it our generation, the generation that grew up alone during the IMF Crisis of 1997~1998 as we had to guard the empty houses that we lived in, that was forced to stay quiet; to prepare for the University Entrance Exams despite the fact that many of our fellow students committed suicide, and to be indifferent? We are not indifferent to politics or to economics. Nor are we oblivious about them. It is just that we were never asked or were given permission to think about those issues for ourselves, or to give voice to our opinions. We were led to believe that we could live our lives being quiet and not have to worry.
However, we cannot live like that anymore. That is because the world that I live in is the kind of world that I had described earlier. I just want to ask you if you are doing all right. Do you really not have any worries? Do you turn the other cheek because you think that it is someone else’s problem? Are you stepping back, rationalizing your indifference to politics? If you are not all right, then I don’t think you can stop yourself from declaring so, regardless of what is ailing you. So I’d like to ask just one last time – Are you all right?
(The translation is from the website The Korean Foreigner)
As a foreigner who doesn't speak Korean it goes without saying that I will never fully understand the subtle intricacies of Korean politics (or even culture). However, I do believe that it’s important to learn as much as possible and then publicize the information because foreigners who also live here have the right to know what's going on. We are part of the people in South Korea and we should keep up-to-date with the major controversies in the country we currently reside in.
The “I'm Not Fine" movement has seen very little media coverage both inside and outside the country. If you are Korean or are in Korea and have more information or even opinions on this topic please contact us. You may remain anonymous if you want.
The "I'm Not Fine" Movement Series:
Part 1: The Letter
Part 2: The Privatization of Korail
Part 3: President Park Geun-hye's Election Scandal
Part 4: The Self-Immolation of Jeon Tae-il
Part 1: The Letter
Part 2: The Privatization of Korail
Part 3: President Park Geun-hye's Election Scandal
Part 4: The Self-Immolation of Jeon Tae-il
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