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Cho Yeong-seon

“Willpower is what has kept them on that tiny ledge, which is less than 80cm across, for more than two months. We’re starting to see issues with their musculoskeletal system, such as soreness in the back and cervical disk problems,” the doctors said.

For 64 days now, workers with the FineTek chapter of the Korean Metal Workers’ Union (KMWU) have been braving the cold on a smokestack 75m above the ground, and now they are apparently suffering from musculoskeletal issues as well. But they remain firm in their determination to remain on the smokestack until FineTek keeps its promise to guarantee employment.

On Jan. 14, Cho Yeong-seon, secretary-general of South Korea’s National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), and two doctors representing the Association of Humanitarian Doctors and the Association of Young Doctors of Oriental Medicine set out to make contact with the two workers who are continuing their sit-in atop the smokestack: Hong Gi-tak, former president of the FineTek chapter of the union, and Park Jun-ho, the chapter’s secretary-general. At 11 am, the three climbed up the ladder to the smokestack, where they checked on the protesters’ physical health and needs before returning to the ground.

Fortunately, the doctors reported, the two men are hanging in there despite the extreme conditions so far. “Their physical vital signs aren’t bad, and they haven’t suffered from frostbite as we had worried. Willpower is what has kept them on that tiny ledge for over two months,” said Hong Jong-won, a member of the Association of Humanitarian Doctors

“Park Jun-ho’s back is feeling stiffer than before the sit-in, and Hong Gi-tak has symptoms that suggest cervical disk problems,” said Oh Chun-sang, a member of the Association of Young Doctors of Oriental Medicine.

“The two workers strongly voiced their determination not to come down from the smokestack until the company keeps its promise to guarantee employment and to uphold the labor union and the collective agreement,” Cho Yeong-seon said.

“The FineTek issue is a social issue that goes beyond a mere dispute between labor and management. The NHRC will also be exploring areas for deliberation with the Ministry of Employment and Labor and other related government bodies,” Cho said.

Hong and Park ascended the smokestack on Nov. 12, 2017, after demanding that the company keep the three promises it made in 2015 when Cha Gwang-ho, vice president of the labor union chapter, descended from a sit-in atop a smokestack that had lasted for 408 days. The NHRC and the medical establishment rushed to check on the two men’s status because of the recent stretch of frigid weather on the Korean Peninsula.

secretary-general of South Korea’s National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and two doctors representing the Association of Humanitarian Doctors and the Association of Young Doctors of Oriental Medicine make contact with two striking workers from the Korean Metal Workers’ Union. Hong Gi-tak

By Choi Min-young, staff reporter

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