KOREA: Daewoo factory reopens under police siege

March 21, 2001
Issue 

BY IGGY KIM

SEOUL — Daewoo's Bupyong factory recommenced operations on March 7 under the guard of 8000 riot police. As 80 buses took workers into the factory about 200 laid-off workers attempted to block them. All were detained by the police.

That afternoon, 2000 Daewoo workers were mobilised by the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) for a rally in Inchon, the city where the factory is located.

The cops have since continued to police the factory operations, with lines of them watching closely over the workers on each part of the assembly line. The atmosphere is tense, akin to a labour camp. The cops dine in the same canteen as the workers, watching over their every move. The company, of course, feeds the cops for free.

The factory's reopening followed a heightened state of tension in Inchon since the massive police crackdown on February 19. Thousands of police from around the country were deployed throughout the city. Many people were arbitrarily taken off the streets for questioning. Helicopters flew overhead to track any assembly of people and their movements. Even small groups were broken up. It was reminiscent of the days of military rule.

Despite this, workers continued to mobilise and clashed repeatedly with the police. Petrol bombs were resorted to for the first time in many years.

Since March 7, the laid-off workers have continued to organise at the Sang-gok church to fight for their reinstatement. They hold daily rallies, continue to clash with police, and leaflet and talk to the Bupyong workers each morning as they walk into the factory. There is no antipathy from those walking in, just fear.

This struggle has now settled in for the long haul. But it will not go away as the President Kim Dae-jung pushes for the sell-off of Daewoo Motors to General Motors. When that happens, Bupyong will suffer further layoffs and eventual closure. When Kim was in the US recently, he sought to reassure GM that, following the crackdown and factory reopening, all was well for a take-over.

If GM pulls out, Daewoo Motors as a whole will collapse if another buyer is not found. This will threaten thousands more workers in the other factories in Gunsan, Changwon and Pusan, not to mention the tens of thousands more in the associated parts factories.

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