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@nodutdol

30 Dec

On Christmas Eve, south Korea’s disgraced former president Park Geun-hye received a full pardon from liberal President Moon.

Meanwhile political prisoner Lee Seok-ki was released on parole. This is what “democracy” looks like under capitalism in south Korea today.

After taking office in 2012, Park’s presidency was marked by scandal and subservience to US imperialism: from election fraud, to the death of hundreds of schoolchildren on Sewol Ferry, to a national bribe scheme, to the US building the THAAD missile shield system on Korean land.

In response to all these scandals, 17 million people protested for 6 months during what is now known as the Candlelight movement.

In 2017 Park Geun-hye was impeached and sentenced to 22 years in prison on charges ranging from bribery to coercion.

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Nodutdol | 노둣돌

@nodutdol

22 Dec

On Sunday, Dec 19th, the Migrants’ Trade Union + the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions held an International Migrants' Day rally in Seoul.

"We migrant workers are still being treated like disposable goods.” - Udaya Rai, MTU President

The rally was held a day after International Migrants’ Day (Dec 18), because the workers couldn’t get time off for that Saturday.

While holding signs that read “abolish racial discrimination,” migrant workers demanded changes to south Korea’s Employment Permit System

Under current laws, migrants who change jobs too often become undocumented. Consequently, many migrant workers are trapped in abusive and dehumanizing jobs.

“Because of the Employment Permit System, migrant workers are doing slave labor.” - Udaya Rai

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Nodutdol | 노둣돌

@nodutdol

29 Nov

Today is International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. As Koreans, we stand in full solidarity with the Palestinian people and their right of return.

[Illustration by Marianne Hernandez from skindeepmag.com/articles/pales…]

From struggling against foreign aggressors to fighting for self-determination free from imperialist violence, the Korean and Palestinian liberation movements share commonalities.

Since 1966, north Korea has stood in solidarity with Palestine while refusing to recognize Israel.

North Korea has materially supported the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, the Palestinian Liberation Organization, and the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, even giving air support to Egypt and Syria during the 1973 Yom Kippur War.

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@nodutdol

22 Nov

From Nov 8-16th, hundreds of farmers joined in a “tractor march” from Jeju island to Seoul organized by the Korean Peasant League (KPL). KPL is part of the united front organizing people’s mobilizations in south Korea alongside the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU).

Rallies were organized in cities and towns along the tractor march’s route. Stops included a visit to Seongju County, where locals are engaged in an ongoing struggle against the US military’s construction of a THAAD missile radar base.

The KPL is demanding action from the government to protect farmers’ rights — including fixing agricultural prices. Under the anarchy of the capitalist market, booms and busts in agricultural prices have created instability and financial ruin for many farmers.

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Nodutdol | 노둣돌

@nodutdol

15 Nov

As part of an ongoing series of mobilizations following last month’s general strike, more than 20,000 Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) members and workers rallied in Seoul on Nov 13th to commemorate Jeon Tae-Il Day and demand protections for all workers

https://twitter.com/nodutdol/status/1327404378479861760

The rally took place in Dongdaemun, where the textile industry of south Korea boomed in the 60s-70s. Jeon Tae-Il was a garment worker whose self-immolation sparked the modern labor movement. His last words “We are not machines!” have been immortalized

https://twitter.com/nodutdol/status/1327404378479861760

Workers at the rally chanted “We are Jeon Tae-Il,” connecting their current conditions to the labor struggle half a century ago. KCTU also continues to call for the abolition of irregular work and for an end to inequality.

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@nodutdol

12 Nov

🧵Food sovereignty in Korea 🧵

Hunger in north Korea is a favorite topic of imperialist propaganda. Yet on both sides of the DMZ, Koreans are struggling against imperialism for food sovereignty.

Here's a look at the real food situation in Korea:

Before we begin: what is food sovereignty?

The concept of food sovereignty was coined in 1996 by La Via Campesina, a global peasant organization.

Korea's southern region was once the breadbasket of the peninsula. Yet today, south Korea is the 8th largest agricultural importer on earth. For over 70 years, US imperialism has sought to destroy local agriculture in order to secure south Korea as a market for agribusiness:

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