hankyoreh

By Park Hyun-jung

Actress Kim Yoh-jin, 39, and other Twitter members embarked on an effort Thursday evening to let the world know about the situation at Hanjin Heavy Industries & Construction (HHIC). Their efforts stem from the concern that government forces may soon be dispatched to the company’s Yeongdo shipyard in Busan, where Kim Jin-suk, a member of the Busan office Direction Committee for the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), is occupying the No. 85 crane in an aerial protest.

Kim Yoh-jin and her Twitter followers sent a post containing Internet links to English-language articles by the Hankyoreh about HHIC to the Twitter accounts of overseas journalists and news organizations such as CNN. The post was retweeted by Twitter manager for Great Britain’s Guardian Weekly, and journalists requested details on the situation from Kim. As a result of the efforts, the English-language news show on Al Jazeera reported on the HHIC situation Friday morning.

Press materials were also developed to send to foreign media outlets.

Film director Park Seong-mi, who compiled the materials, said “The materials explain the reason Kim Jin-suk went up in the crane, the background about the layoffs at HHIC, and the attempts by public authorities to take legal action against one thousand people.”

The materials were translated into English, Japanese, French, and other languages with the help of Twitter users.

During a telephone conversation with the Hankyoreh on Friday, Kim Yoh-jin said, “At this moment, there are warning broadcasts at the shipyard telling people to disperse.”

“At times like this, there need to be a lot of eyes watching,” Kim added.

On Friday, bailiffs with the Busan District Court posted copies of the court's ruling granting an injunction to evacuate the premises and prohibit entrance all over the Yeongdo shipyard.

The ruling states, “Union members are forbidden access to any area except the shortest route between the front gate and the labor union office.”

The company is also blocking access to outsiders.

Chae Gil-yong, head of the HHIC chapter of the Korean Metal Workers’ Union, and Mun Cheol-sang, head of the Busan-Yangsan branch, began an indefinite fast inside the shipyard to urge the company to engage in sincere negotiations and to express opposition to the deployment of police forces. Currently, the roughly 200 union members protesting inside the shipyard are taking turns fasting for 24-hour periods thirty at a time.

Please direct questions or comments to [englishhani@hani.co.kr]