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Anarchy
reigns in South Korea
By
David Scofield
SEOUL - Much to the chagrin of
the good folks at the South Korean Ministry of Tourism
and Culture, the international image of Korea tends to
oscillate between that of nuclear-armed jingoists in the
North and masked, pipe-wielding men in the South. But
unlike years past when unionists and students banded
together to nudge the nation toward democracy, today’s
demonstrations lack the lofty ideological aims of the
past. And contrary to the more carefully choreographed
protests of old when protestors and police agreed to
abide by a set of “ground rules” of civil unrest, recent
demonstrations have become decidedly more violent and
unpredictable.
High-powered slingshots, Molotov
cocktails, propane tanks used as flame throwers,
sharpened steel poles and in one recent incident, glass
bottles filled with acid. These have become the
trademarks of urban unrest in South Korea. The residents
of North Cholla in the country’s southwest used
incendiaries and sharpened steel farm implements against
the police. One police officer, a university student
fulfilling his military service, was hit in the face
with a Molotov cocktail during one of the scuffles.
Badly burnt, he was bundled up and rushed to a nearby
hospital, but the staff refused to treat him for fear
the demonstrators would lay siege to the building if
they did. Then, while being moved to another hospital,
the ambulance he was riding in was attacked by
protesters who got in and began beating the helpless
officer again. He was just one of a reported 680 riot
policemen injured so far this year - more than double
the 287 injured in all of last year. Stories of
demonstrations and protests getting horribly out of hand
are becoming commonplace, but what we don’t hear about
are the criminal reprisals against thugs who instigate
the violence.
The attempted eviction of a group
of residents from a dilapidated building slated for
demolition last Friday resulted in the tenants lobbing
bricks, firing steel projectiles from large slingshots
and throwing Molotov cocktails and acid-filled bottles
at construction workers who had been brought in to
remove them before performing the demolition work. Some
were reported to have been injured by high velocity
steel pellets that penetrated steel shipping containers
that the construction workers were hiding in. This could
be a new and even more dangerous turning point, as local
news reports suggested firearms may have been used.
So what is prompting today’s unrest? The causes
are as varied as the protestors. There are general
demands from unionists calling for more rights for
part-time and “irregular” workers, who make up the
backbone of Korea’s working class; although they account
for slightly more than 50 percent of the nation’s work
force, part-time and “irregular” workers receive less
than 50 percent of a regular worker’s salary, and in
many ways shoulder the burden of wage increases and
other concessions made to unionized employees. There are
other demands for the repeal of legislation that allows
companies to seek financial penalties and seize property
to off-set the costs they incur due to illegal strikes.
This has led to high-profile suicides by union leaders
and emboldened protesters. Specifically, union locals
are calling for more benefits, greater job security and
reduced working hours.
Aside from unionized and
part-time workers, a number of other groups are staging
violent protests. Farmers are protesting the
ratification of Korea’s first free trade agreement with
Chile, an agreement they feel will threaten their
livelihoods and the US$411 million in subsidies they
receive each year. Residents of North Cholla, the area
where the police officer was badly beaten, have been
protesting local government plans to build a nuclear
waste facility at nearby Wido island. Ironically, the
county governor had previously lobbied the government
for the right to host the project under the assumption
that large federal grants would accompany the project.
Illegal workers are protesting a new government policy
aimed at deporting undocumented (illegal) workers, most
of whom are Chinese-Korean. Incidentally, President Roh
Mu-hyun was gracious enough to pay some of the
protesting illegal workers a personal visit over the
weekend. Not to be overlooked are the protesters
demanding the withdrawal of US troops and those who
challenge the government's promise to send Korean troops
to Iraq.
And the list goes on. The causes are
disparate but the methods are similar, and groups with
little in common often join together to flex their
collective muscle against a government they elected less
than a year ago. Given the wide variety of grievances
voiced at these rallies, many demonstrations are now
simply “anti-government”, which raises the possibility
that this lawlessness could ultimately unravel
everything the nation fought so hard to achieve a decade
ago. Unfortunately, this bleak possibility does not seem
to resonate with the people.
Violence has
increased markedly since the inauguration of President
Roh, whose rise to power was expedited by promising
concessions to nearly every sector. Roh eventually
reneged on many of his promises and was quickly taken to
task by the most militant. Unions staged illegal and
sometimes violent walk-outs and demonstrations
challenging Roh’s presidency almost immediately. But
rather than demonstrating his resolve to enforce the
nation's laws or encouraging peaceful protests, Roh
vacillated and ultimately acquiesced to various demands.
Although Roh initially talked tough, often those who
instigated violence and took illegal actions were not
punished. The Korean Ministry of Labor has reported that
the number of strikes and demonstrations has increased 6
percent from last year, while the number of workers
involved has increased over 50 percent year on year.
All this violence is having a profound effect on
the nation's economy. On November 12 the London-based
World Market Research Center raised Korea’s risk rating
from 2.25 to 2.5 (1 being least risky, 5 being most) in
recognition of militant and violent demonstrations.
Samsung Economic Research Institute estimates that
foreign direct investment for this year will be only
US$1.2 billion, one tenth of the US$10.6 billion the
country attracted in 1999. Roh's government, while
displaying steely resolve in its dealings with North
Korea, is long on rhetoric and short on action when it
comes to dealing with disgruntled citizens who are now
emerging from virtually every sector of society.
But beyond the sharpened steel, slingshots and
incendiaries, these demonstrators pose the greatest
danger not to police officers or to the economy, but to
South Korea’s institutions, especially legal
institutions. In the past, the authorities could be
challenged only so far. Once protesters had crossed a
certain line, government repression - often brutal -
left no doubt as to where power ultimately rested. But
there has been a marked change in South Korean society.
Apart from large protests and demonstrations,
individuals are becoming more brazen in their defiance
of the law. Corruption, graft and general malfeasance,
both within and outside the nation’s judiciary, has
become commonplace. And with so many law breakers,
including the lawmakers themselves, the efficacy of the
law is now in doubt.
This phenomenon manifests
itself almost every day, as motorists jostle and
challenge police officers over traffic citations -
something that can be quite a shock to people coming
from countries where such actions would undoubtedly lead
to immediate arrest. Indeed, South Koreans are openly
challenging authority in nearly every sector of society.
South Korea’s limited experience with democracy has left
the country with a fragile democratic foundation. Lately
it seems that if you want to bring about social change,
forget about using legal or peacefully avenues of
appeal, but rather challenge the government head on.
With recent events in South Korea showing that violence
works, and that by protesting there is little to lose
and potentially everything to gain, direct challenges to
democratic authority are likely to increase in the near
future.
(Copyright 2003 Asia Times Online Ltd.
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