hankyoreh

June 24. (Photo by Kim Jung-hyo)

By Lee Moon-young

Prominent figures issued an emergency statement Friday calling for resolution to the situations at Hanjin Heavy Industries and Construction (HHIC) and YPR. Also lending their support were international labor groups and the three major professors' associations.

Research Institute of Unification Affairs Director Baek Ki-wan, poet Ko Un, Father Ham Se-woong, Venerable Myeong-jin, Rev. Kim Sang-keun, attorney Han Seung-heon, former Democratic Labor Party Lawmaker Dan byung-ho and 101 other prominent figures in society announced an emergency statement Friday at the Korea Press Center on Seoul's Taepyeong Road.

In it, they demanded “a resolution to the Hanjin Heavy Industries and Construction layoff issue and the rescue of [Korean Confederation of Trade Unions Busan office Direction Committee member] Kim Jin-suk.”

Friday marked the 168th day of Kim’s aerial protest atop the No. 85 crane at HHIC’s Yeongdo shipyard in Busan.

“Layoffs that are destructive to workers' lives are taking place without any restrictions,” said the signatories in a statement. “These layoffs must be withdrawn and the Hanjin Heavy Industries and Construction workers returned to their workplace.”

The signatories also said, “Workers at YPR have suffered brutality for their fight for the right to sleep at night, and young people who suffered from tuition fees of over 10 million won a year are venturing out into the society once again as temporary workers.”

“We can no longer tolerate the current administration, which destroys hopes for life.”

The signatories plan to send a large second group of “Hope Buses” to the Yeongdo shipyard on July 9. The first group was sent on June 11.

International Metalworkers’ Federation Assistant General Secretary Fernando Lopes also announced a resolution urging resolution to the HHIC and YPR situations.

Lopes, who was in Seoul to attend a labor-related event, announced the resolution at a press conference at the National Assembly on Friday. The resolution states that the IMF observed a severe level of labor suppression in South Korea at companies such as HHIC and YPR and urges the South Korean government to take active steps in resolving the situation.

The IMF is a federation representing 25 million metalworkers in over 100 countries around the world.

The National Association of Professors for Democratic Society, Korea Professors’ Union, and Korea Progressive Academy Council also issued a joint statement in which they called on the HHIC management to “acknowledge the disguised financial problems and withdraw the layoffs of workers at the Yeongdo shipyard.”

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