By Park Yoon-bae
Fifty years have passed since a young garment worker and labor activist burned himself to death in a Seoul market to protest the exploitation and terrible working conditions of workers.
It was a tragic incident in which the 22-year-old Chun Tae-il ended his own life through self-immolation on Nov. 13, 1970. Since then he has been remembered as a martyr.
His death, however, proved not to be in vain. He has been touted as the "single spark" that ignited the country's labor movement. He deserves praise for his courage to call for basic labor rights which were being suppressed by the military dictatorship.
This year's commemoration drew much attention not only because Chun was posthumously honored with a state medal, but also because a large number of workers are still grappling with deteriorating labor conditions.
On Nov. 12, President Moon Jae-in conferred the Mugunghwa Medal of the Order of Civil Merit on Chun in recognition of his sacrifice and struggle for workers' rights. Chun is the first labor activist to be decorated with the country's highest civil honor.
"This medal awarded to Chun Tae-il is a symbolic expression of my administration's commitment to realizing a society that respects workers," Moon said. However, the President did not forget to say that "the road to a labor-respecting society is still a long one and progress is slow, but our commitment will not waver."
As he pointed out, the country still has a long way to go before all labor rights are fully guaranteed for all workers as demanded by the late Chun half a century ago.
Chun shouted slogans such as "We Are Not Machines" and "Abide by the Labor Standard Act" until he was overcome by the blaze. His desperate cries reverberated throughout the Pyeonghwa (Peace) Market, now alongside the Cheonggye Stream in downtown Seoul.
Regrettably, however, many workers are still unable to enjoy their basic rights, even though Korea is now the world's 12th-largest economy with its per capita national income exceeding $30,000. The overall labor situation has, of course, greatly improved over the past five decades; yet blind spots still exist.
That's why progressive unions and civic groups denounced the medal award ceremony for Chun as an attempt to hide the fact that many people are now forced to work excessively long hours and suffer serious workplace injuries and diseases, not to mention meager wages and bad working conditions.
Particularly irregular workers are subject to various types of discrimination and are vulnerable to fatal industrial accidents.
A case in point is the 2018 death of Kim Yong-gyun, a 24-year-old subcontract worker who toiled away at a coal-fired power plant in Taean, South Chungcheong Province. He died after getting stuck on a coal conveyor belt at the plant run by Korea Western Power (KOWEPO).
As seen in Kim's case, many companies, including state-run enterprises, hire subcontracted workers to force them to do dangerous jobs for low pay. By making use of this unfair practice, businesses can transfer work-related dangers to subcontractors and reduce their labor costs.
This year alone, 15 parcel delivery workers have died from overwork. The workload of such workers has increased significantly this year as online shopping is booming amid the COVID-19 pandemic. They are forced to work over 14 hours a day just as Chun and other garment workers did in the 1970s.
There are a growing number of online platform workers, or gig workers, such as deliverymen and ride hailing drivers, with the rapid digitization of the economy and industries. But most of them cannot enjoy basic labor rights. They are not covered by unemployment insurance or industrial disaster insurance because they are usually treated as independent contractors.
South Koreans worked 1,957 hours on average last year, longer than their counterparts in other OECD member nations. Nearly 2,000 workers die every year due to industrial accidents, one of the highest death rates among OECD members.
Only 11.8 percent of the country's entire workforce are union members. The number of irregular workers stands at 7.5 million, accounting for 36 percent of the total. Their wages are less than 60 percent of what regular workers make. About 3.5 million working at small businesses with fewer than five workers are not protected by the Labor Standards Law.
Without solving all those problems the country cannot usher in a labor-respecting society. The government and the ruling party should legislate a law to impose harsher punishments on firms responsible for fatal industrial accidents. They should also revise the Labor Standards Act to better protect each and every worker.
We owe the late Chun too much. So we should do our best to realize his dream. Only honoring him with a medal is not sufficient to create a better future for workers who are the backbone of our nation and its economy.
The writer (byb@koreatimes.co.kr) is the chief editorial writer of The Korea Times.
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It was a tragic incident in which the 22-year-old Chun Tae-il ended his own life through self-immolation on Nov. 13, 1970. Since then he has been remembered as a martyr.
His death, however, proved not to be in vain. He has been touted as the "single spark" that ignited the country's labor movement. He deserves praise for his courage to call for basic labor rights which were being suppressed by the military dictatorship.
This year's commemoration drew much attention not only because Chun was posthumously honored with a state medal, but also because a large number of workers are still grappling with deteriorating labor conditions.
On Nov. 12, President Moon Jae-in conferred the Mugunghwa Medal of the Order of Civil Merit on Chun in recognition of his sacrifice and struggle for workers' rights. Chun is the first labor activist to be decorated with the country's highest civil honor.
"This medal awarded to Chun Tae-il is a symbolic expression of my administration's commitment to realizing a society that respects workers," Moon said. However, the President did not forget to say that "the road to a labor-respecting society is still a long one and progress is slow, but our commitment will not waver."
As he pointed out, the country still has a long way to go before all labor rights are fully guaranteed for all workers as demanded by the late Chun half a century ago.
Chun shouted slogans such as "We Are Not Machines" and "Abide by the Labor Standard Act" until he was overcome by the blaze. His desperate cries reverberated throughout the Pyeonghwa (Peace) Market, now alongside the Cheonggye Stream in downtown Seoul.
Regrettably, however, many workers are still unable to enjoy their basic rights, even though Korea is now the world's 12th-largest economy with its per capita national income exceeding $30,000. The overall labor situation has, of course, greatly improved over the past five decades; yet blind spots still exist.
That's why progressive unions and civic groups denounced the medal award ceremony for Chun as an attempt to hide the fact that many people are now forced to work excessively long hours and suffer serious workplace injuries and diseases, not to mention meager wages and bad working conditions.
Particularly irregular workers are subject to various types of discrimination and are vulnerable to fatal industrial accidents.
A case in point is the 2018 death of Kim Yong-gyun, a 24-year-old subcontract worker who toiled away at a coal-fired power plant in Taean, South Chungcheong Province. He died after getting stuck on a coal conveyor belt at the plant run by Korea Western Power (KOWEPO).
As seen in Kim's case, many companies, including state-run enterprises, hire subcontracted workers to force them to do dangerous jobs for low pay. By making use of this unfair practice, businesses can transfer work-related dangers to subcontractors and reduce their labor costs.
This year alone, 15 parcel delivery workers have died from overwork. The workload of such workers has increased significantly this year as online shopping is booming amid the COVID-19 pandemic. They are forced to work over 14 hours a day just as Chun and other garment workers did in the 1970s.
There are a growing number of online platform workers, or gig workers, such as deliverymen and ride hailing drivers, with the rapid digitization of the economy and industries. But most of them cannot enjoy basic labor rights. They are not covered by unemployment insurance or industrial disaster insurance because they are usually treated as independent contractors.
South Koreans worked 1,957 hours on average last year, longer than their counterparts in other OECD member nations. Nearly 2,000 workers die every year due to industrial accidents, one of the highest death rates among OECD members.
Only 11.8 percent of the country's entire workforce are union members. The number of irregular workers stands at 7.5 million, accounting for 36 percent of the total. Their wages are less than 60 percent of what regular workers make. About 3.5 million working at small businesses with fewer than five workers are not protected by the Labor Standards Law.
Without solving all those problems the country cannot usher in a labor-respecting society. The government and the ruling party should legislate a law to impose harsher punishments on firms responsible for fatal industrial accidents. They should also revise the Labor Standards Act to better protect each and every worker.
We owe the late Chun too much. So we should do our best to realize his dream. Only honoring him with a medal is not sufficient to create a better future for workers who are the backbone of our nation and its economy.
The writer (byb@koreatimes.co.kr) is the chief editorial writer of The Korea Times.
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