hankyoreh

By Jang Bong-kun

Mother of laborers Lee So-sun, who died on Saturday, hugs her son Jeon Tae-il, one of the most notable labor activists in South Korea, in heaven.

Kim Jin-suk, a 51-year-old member of the Direction Committee at the Busan office of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) and who has staged aerial protest on a 35 meter-high crane at Busan's Yeongdo Shipyard of the Hanjin Heavy Industries and Construction (HHIC) against the company's massive layoffs, joins many irregular or laid-off laborers in expressing their sorrow at her death, saying in unison, “Have a good eternal rest!”

Mother Lee had been hospitalized since mid-July due to heart problems. Her organs stopped functioning that morning at Hanil General Hospital, Seoul. She was 81. Her funeral will be held at Seoul's Daehangno and co-hosted by major umbrella labor unions, the Korea Confederation of Trade Unions and Federation of Korean Trade Unions, and other civic organizations.

Lee became a labor activist and established the first democratic labor union after her son's self-immolation in 1970 to protest brutal working conditions. Then 22-year-old garment worker Jeon's sacrifice sparked nationwide protests by labor activists and led to the massive labor union movement.

(Hankyoreh Geurimpan Sept. 5)