Gov’t Vows to Press Unionized Civil Servants

By Bae Ji-sook
Staff Reporter

Leaders of progressive teachers and civil servants unions declined to show up at a police station Thursday for questioning over their alleged inappropriate liaison with a left-wing political party.

According to the police, about 290 members of the Korean Teachers and Educational Workers Union (KTU) and the Korean Governmental Employees' Union (KGEU) have either financially supported the Democratic Labor Party (DLP) or have participated in its political protests.

The investigators explained that such actions are against the current law obliging the political neutrality of public workers. The police have summoned 69 leaders for questioning this week and further probe into an additional 224 members.

A local court issued an warrant allowing police to seize and search the DLP's Web site to check the individual memberships of the accused by inserting their personal identification numbers. The party shut down the Web site Thursday.

Both groups said the questioning will take place no sooner than next month. "We have just received the summons. We need time to sort out what to say and what not to," a KTU spokesman said.

The KTU is at odds with the government since they have actively participated in rallies against the conservative Lee Myung-bak administration in 2008. The civil servants union also released several statements denouncing the administration's policies last year. The group has been declared an "outlaw" by the labor ministry.

The KGEU spokesman, Yun Jin-won, claimed, "We have never encouraged members to participate in political protests. The investigation is a suppression of individuals' rights to the expression of political ideas, guaranteed by the Constitution. We will not demand our members confess their political ideas. We will take joint steps with the teachers' union against the investigation."

The Ministry of Public Administration and Security said KTU and KGEU members who have joined the DLP will be fired.

The unionized teachers and public servants have been under pressure by the current govertnment, led by the conservative President Lee Myung-bak, who is promoting business-friendly policies.

bjs@koreatimes.co.kr