In recent weeks, some of the biggest wins of the Candlelight Movement have been undone.
Samsung heir Lee Jae Yong has been released from prison, and a major investigation into the Sewol ferry disaster has been closed. The Moon gov't beterays the movement that put it in power.
Samsung vice chairman and heir Lee Jae Yong was accused of giving $40 million in bribes to President Park’s close associate to secure President Park’s support for a 2015 merger within Samsung. In Jan 2017, Lee was sentenced to 5 years in prison.
Lee was released in Feb 2018, resentenced in 2021, and released again Aug. 13.
He was released months after the Ministry of Justice revised an internal regulation allowing prisoners to serve just 60% of their sentence before parole. Lee had completed 60% of his term by July.
In May, Biden & Moon negotiated 2 Samsung deals: 1) $17 billion US semiconductor chip factory; & 2) Manufacturing contracts for the Moderna vaccine.
Despite protests, Moon’s office defended Lee’s release: “he will help the country with respect to semiconductors and vaccines”.
In 2014, over 200 school children died when Sewol ferry sank. The gov't, ferry captain & crew took no appropriate actions to save the lives of the people on board.
President Park and the rightwing gov't tried to control public opinion instead of helping victims & their families.
The Sewol ferry disaster was a major catalyst for the Candlelight Movement which swept Moon Jae-In to power.
But justice for Sewol’s victims is being deferred. The Special Prosecutor's Office closed its investigation into possible evidence tampering related to the disaster.
In addition, the city of Seoul is demolishing the Sewol victims’ memorial hall in order to renovate Gwanghwamun Square. Victims’ families are protesting the decision.
The Candlelight Movement showed the power of the Korean masses and the limits of reform. The Moon Jae-In government refuses to uphold the demands of the very movement that brought it to power. The corruption and austerity of the Park government has continued under Moon.
The ROK state will not root out corruption or protect the masses from capitalist exploitation because its purpose is to serve monopoly capital & US empire.
We cannot depend on a neocolony that defends the interests of the bourgeoisie to liberate us.
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On New Year’s Eve, global media reported that Kim Jong Un no longer supports Korean reunification. But this is not true.
A thread 🧵
Kim Jong Un recently announced major changes in north Korea’s stance towards reunification. This marks a huge breakdown in inter-Korean relations after years of US, south Korean, and Japanese aggression.
However, north Korea has NOT abandoned reunification.
In a speech made on Dec 31 at the 9th Plenum of the Central Committee of the Workers Party of Korea, Kim Jong Un rejected south Korea’s formula for “reunification by absorption”— the idea south Korea should absorb the north, overthrow its govt, and abolish its socialist system.
As anti-imperialist Koreans, we stand unequivocally with Palestine, its people and its armed resistance against the Zionist occupation. This is neither a two-sided conflict nor a war: it is an occupation and a genocide.
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As Koreans whose homeland is divided, we know imperialism is our common enemy. Following our liberation from Japanese colonialism and the beginning of independent socialist construction in Korea, the US split our country in two and indiscriminately bombed and killed our people.
There is a reason the Nakba and the division of Korea coincided in 1948, backed by the same imperialist interests. Both Korea and Palestine are geographically strategic sites for the US empire’s grip across the world.
Today marks the 73rd anniversary of the “start” of the Korean War. We've curated a list of educational resources that the US & south Korean governments desperately tried to erase from our history. In the face of blatant US propaganda, it is up to us to learn the real history 🧵
The Hidden History of the Korean War by I.F. Stone
In this new book, I.F. Stone challenges the dominant historical narrative about the Korean War and exposes the US' deliberate attempts to prolong the war.
Blowback, Season 3
Brendan James and Noah Kulwin expose US involvement in the Korean War using primary sources, vivid storytelling, and sharp historical analysis. The season also features interviews with Suzy Kim, Tim Shorrock, and Bruce Cummings.
#OTD in 1980, the people of #Gwangju rose up against Chun Doo-hwan's military dictatorship, calling for democracy in south Korea.
In response, with a green light from the US, south Korean police & soldiers massacred 2,300 people. We will never forget the martyrs of Gwangju. 🧵
In Oct 1979, former President Park Chung-hee was assassinated by his own head of security. Chun Doo-hwan then seized power via military coup.
On May 17, 1980, he declared martial law, using rumors of communism to close schools, ban political activity, and censor the press.
On May 18, 1980, thousands of students in Gwangju gathered to protest martial law and the closing of their universities.
Police & soldiers responded with brutal violence, beating students with clubs and rounding them up for execution. Students and bystanders alike were killed.
The south Korean defense ministry defended its actions using the Status of Forces Agreement, which exempts US troops from following domestic laws in south Korea.
The Status of Forces Agreement is an imperialist tool that allows the US to control and suppress the Korean people.
With a US shooting range in their backyard, the residents of Changwon will face irreversible environmental, physical, and psychological damage.
From 1952-2004, the US installed a bombing range near Maehyang-ri village. At least 12 villagers were killed by stray bombs or bullets.
Single mothers face discrimination and abuse in south Korean society. On top of social stigma, the government also makes it difficult for single mothers to receive financial support.