Support the South Korean workers general strike, and the fight back of its other democratic forces against the attempted Martial Law and ongoing repression!
Statement of the ILPS Asia Pacific Regional Committee
We applaud the working people and all the democratic forces of South Korea for standing-up and gaining an initial victory against the current President Yoon Suk-yeol. The beleaguered Yoon Suk- yeol declared martial law on the eve of December 4, 2024, but soon after was forced to revoke the declaration.
The democratic forces in South Korea did not cower when the government of President Yoon bared its fascists fangs, and instead stood firmly against martial rule, braved the freezing weather and occupied the streets of Seoul, and immediately prepared to fight. The workers quickly drew out plans to conduct a general strike, a majority of MPs immediately occupied Parliament House, and the other democratic forces consolidated their ranks.
For a time now, President Yoon has been under pressure to step down from office. He has continued the policy of trade union repression against the organized ranks of the Korean working-class, by filing a multitude of cases against union officials and their rank-and-file members. This same president has been pushing to eliminate the minimum wage and let loose the race-to-the-bottom for workers’ wages, to directly benefit the South Korea’s chaebol (business conglomerates), who sit on top of the economic and political food-chain.
It is clear that the Yoon regime is more isolated than ever before, and has only its imperialist US master as an ally. Even the US President Biden called Yoon expressing his fears of a mass uprising. South Korea is home to one of the highest numbers of US military bases in the world, and a recent trip by the US state and defense secretaries reaffirmed that in a battle scenario it would be a US general in charge of the South Korean military. The people are fed up with fascist puppet rule and the extremely provocative military drills against the DPRK and China.
We call all working people and democratic forces in the Asia and the Pacific to support the South Korean working people and its other democratic forces in their fight for democracy. Let us show our solidarity to the workers who are now in the middle of an indefinite general strike. We must also stand in support of the rest of the democratic forces in South Korea who are resisting the return to martial law.
Signed,
ILPS Asia-Pacific, December 5, 2024
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