SEOUL — In a series of lively demonstrations here on October 20 — dubbed O20 — against the Asia-Europe Meetings (ASEM), South Koreans linked up with the worldwide people's movement against corporate tyranny.
The first ASEM, opened in Bangkok in 1996, represented attempts by European imperialism to gain a greater foothold in Asia and gain economic leverage against the United States. As economic liberalisation in South Korea and other industrialised Asian economies has escalated following the late-1990s economic crisis, European multinationals have been eyeing Korean firms put up for sale.
O20 was organised by a coalition of workers, farmers, urban poor, students and a host of civic groups, represented by the People's Rally Committee, Citizens Action and the Min-gan Forum. The coalition focused on the impact of local and global capitalist attacks on South Korea's working people, which took a ferocious turn following the International Monetary Fund-imposed structural adjustment program implemented after the crisis. These include privatisation, mass layoffs, job casualisation, the bankruptcy of farmers exposed to global markets, "efficiency"-driven education policies, and the dismantling and sale to overseas companies of South Korean industry.
On the eve of O20, 5000 people attended a "People's Rally" at Sungshil University. A significant theme was the 30th anniversary of the death of Jun Tae-il, a young worker, which sparked the first wave of the democratic labour movement in the early 1970s. A delegation of Thai women workers gave solidarity greetings to enthusiastic applause.
Early the next morning, as ASEM was about to open, a crowd of nearly 1000 gathered outside the conference venue to support movement leaders' attempts to go inside to deliver a "people's declaration". This was followed by a protest of 5000 people in the centre of Gangnam, the wealthy suburb where ASEM was held.
The crowd, mainly metalworkers and students, denounced South Korean President Kim Dae-jung's attacks on workers and the government's bilateral investment treaties being negotiated with Japan, the US and other governments.
The protest was convened without police approval and when it began marching, police tried confine it to one traffic lane. The police eventually succeeded in stopping the march altogether, after following violent clashes.
At 2pm, about 10,000 people mobilised for the main protest at Olympic Park. It was a colourful event in the tradition of the South Korean movement. Speakers from France and Ireland were warmly welcomed. In particular, Pierre Rousset from the French organisation ATTAC (Action for a Tobin Tax to Assist the Citizen) struck a chord with his message that workers in Europe and South Korea are fighting the same struggle, against corporate globalisation.
The spirit of internationalism was strong. There were repeated statements by all speakers that O20 was a continuation of the anti-capitalist protests in Seattle, Washington, Melbourne and Prague. Many placards and banners were written in English for the benefit of international media. The rally ended with a march to Jamshil Stadium via the World Trade Centre.
A large number of the O20 protesters were young people. There were gay and lesbian activists, disabled activists, environmentalists and feminist organisations. These issues have been hitherto untouched by the South Korean left.
The leaderships of the civic groups — which act largely within a Kim Dae-jung-friendly lobbying framework, but include many genuine activists prepared to tackle capitalism's social and environmental ills — opposed the illegal O20 morning protest.
The class-struggle left organisations concentrated on building the October 19 People's Rally and the O20 morning protest. They pushed for them to also try to stop the ASEM opening ceremony.
In the end, the influential Korean Confederation of Trade Unions' leaders refused to throw their weight behind the radical left and supported all the protests, making a special effort to moderate the morning march.
The final, official demonstration at Olympic Park symbolised this division and the absence of a strong radical left. It took place in a relatively isolated part of Seoul, several kilometres from the ASEM venue.
BY IGGY KIM