PSPD in English Newsletter 2016-12-27   4164

PSPD English Newsletter, December 2016

People Power!
This month at PSPD

Members! You must be in agony, speculation and having discussions and participation while the people as sovereigns are overwhelmingly advancing civil revolution. There seem your angers and sighs are everywhere. PSPD will go through this historical upheaval with members and citizens to the victory of sovereign revolution and do its best to make a significant change. Taking this opportunity, connection of Park Geun-hye, Choi Soon-sil and Chaebol must be brought to the justice by the people. Sovereign of the people should be restored so that the democracy of our society can develop. Please keep shouting out together with PSPD in the middle of historical moment. Immediately step down, Park Geun-hye! Clear off criminals of Park Geun-hye Gate! We want Democracy and Justice!!

Emergency Action of the People for the resignation of Park Geun-hye government established and started its movements

참여사회 2016년 12월호 (통권 241호)
More than 1600 nationwide civil and social organizations established a joint organization the Emergency Action of the People for the Resignation of Park Geun-hye government (Action for Resignation) on 9 November. It is a developed form of the council for current situation previously held several times and participating organizations are still growing. There are similarities and differences with People’s action for the victory of democracy in 1987 and People’s council to respond to threats of mad cow disease in 2008. What’s obvious this time is that everyone is endeavoring to remove Park administration from their positions. Website (http://bisang2016.net) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/bisang2016) are available for your visit. Resignation, step-down, overturn, evacuate the blue house, stop and retire, whatever words people use to call for, the president Park Geun-hye and her aides involved in the Gate scandal must resign with no doubt and their corruptions have to be thoroughly investigated to clear off. PSPD will actively participate in the Action for Resignation and make all efforts for the victory of the people.

Victims of the National Election Law including General Election Network held a Talk show
The Civil Political Forum and the Civil Society Organizations Network in Korea held <Case Presentation: Victims of the National Election Law hope for the revision> on 16 November at the National Assembly. The current election law is too general and excessively regulated that it fundamentally constraints the right to vote of voters who want to participate in politics. In every election season, the National Election Commission and the Police have contracted voluntary activities of voters by unfairly executing the law. The last 4.13 general election wasn’t an exception that many civil and social organizations and ordinary voters have been indicted even though they just tried to approve policies of candidates, that was, legitimate movement. Therefore, the court should swiftly rule that the General Election Network is innocent and the National Assembly must revise the Election law as soon as possible.

Lee Jae-yong, Samsung and Chaebol to be punished for bribery

참여사회 2016년 12월호 (통권 241호)
It is easy to find problems of typical economy-politic cronyism in Park Geun-hye Choi Soon-sil Gate. Prosecutors said in interim investigation report to apply various charges but the charge against Chaebol for providing bribes to park and Choi was totally omitted in the bill of indictment. Park Geun-hye has discarded the promise for democracy in Economy and granted wishes of the business field giving all sorts of favors to Chaebol. Civil organizations including PSPD, Minbyun, Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), Citizens’ Coalition for Economic Justice and Federation of Korean Distribution are calling for applying bribery charges and following strict punishment because Chaebol is another major group in the center of the scandal. Hence, they decided to accuse Lee Jae-yong, vice chairman, Park Sang-jin, president of Samsung Electronics, President Park Geun-hye and Choi Soon-sil for providing and accepting bribes and breach of trust. With the accusation they tried to stress out that all unlawful transactions have been taken for handing over the Samsung management to Lee Jae-yong. Suspicious merger of Samsung C&T and Cheil Industries, wrongful mobilization of national pension fund, Samsung’ direct financial support to Choi Soon-sil and her daughter and Samsung life Insurance’s purchase of Samsung C&T shares are all related to the succession process. Especially, complete probe should be executed in regard to using national pension money for the illegal merger and all the responsible involved in. Then, fair punishment should follow since it incurred a great loss and damage to ordinary citizens.

March and actions of citizens for resignation of Park Geun-hye government

참여사회 2016년 12월호 (통권 241호)
Can we call it a nation? Sighs and angers of the people are boiling to explode. Candle rallies started with 50,000 increased to 200,000, 1.35 million and then continued with more than one million candles throughout the nation. Despite of these protests, the President Park refused to step down that the chaos didn’t get settled down. Hence, citizens have responded with actions and showed the power of sovereign during the November. Several hundreds of people accumulatively have come out to the street to protest but there has been no single accident. Rallies and marches have gone on in peace. People express their voices by horning, lighting out, one-person demonstration, hanging a banner at home, stickers on vehicles, rallies in neighborhood and hanging posters “Resignation will solve the all” at stores and homes. Park must leave the office promptly with her administration she appointed. The press and the prosecutors have to awake and admit their faults, and try to reform themselves from head to foot. The people will achieve the victory.

Demonstration to denounce prosecutors who protect monopolizing national administration

참여사회 2016년 12월호 (통권 241호)
PSPD and People’ Action for Park Geun-hye resignation held a rally on 17 November denouncing prosecutors who have protected suspects of monopolizing national administration. The Prosecutor office has recently expanded a special investigation bureau in order to probe Park Gun-hye Choi Soon-sil Gate but it has lingered and been very generous to suspects from the beginning when allegations on Mir and K sports foundation arose. Choi Soon-sil and the core people concerned were summoned late having enough time to destroy evidence and convenience was provided to Chaebol. The trust on prosecutors has dipped down to the ground. Therefore, more than 300 citizens protested in front of Gangnam station denouncing prosecutors and calling on them to carry out fair investigation on the president Park as a suspect, and marched to the Supreme Prosecutors Office. After the rally, prosecutors named the president Park a suspect on 20 November but has not been moving forward since Park rejected the probe shielding herself with ‘immune from prosecution’. It is clear that there are allegations on serious crimes followed by indictment but if the investigation can start after the resignation, all documents and evidence would disappear by then. Keep giving indulgences to a suspect and delaying investigation would make the prosecutor complicity. Watch and pressure on prosecutors will continue till they put hands in proper investigation

Even during the chaos, Park government signed on General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA) 

참여사회 2016년 12월호 (통권 241호)
While the people do not approve legitimacy of Park administration even for a single day, General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA) was laid, decided at cabinet council and approved by the President Park on 22 November in spite of strong opposition of the people and the National Assembly. The agreement is a systematic device to install trilateral Missile Defense Net of Korea-US-Japan that it supports collective self-defense of Japan and head start of attacking North Korea. It would lead to an agreement for mutual provision of commodities and services between two nations eventually developing the relationship to military alliance. The agreement has no benefits but harms and it is not valid since the government forced the agreement without having the ratification of the National Assembly.

Three consecutive victories of the Public Law Center for injunction to suspend prohibiting march

참여사회 2016년 12월호 (통권 241호)
Lee Cheol-sung, Police chief said on 21 November at press briefing that march in the Yulgok Road area would be allowed if more than three million protesters take the street at the 5th general people action for park’s resignation. However, march both in the Yulgok and Sajik road should not be banned regardless of number of protesters. The court ruled earlier that march to Changseong-dong annex of the government complex closer from the Blue House and Samcheongdong road must be secured. The freedom to Assembly is a basic element of democracy and significant basic right secured by the constitution. It is not something that police can decide according to their will. That’s why Seoul Administration Court said that prohibiting the march on 5, 12 and 19 November were not reasonable. On behalf of the People Action, public law center of PSPD filed an injunction to suspend prohibiting march for three occasions and they were accepted by the court. The police must remind to themselves that their duties are to secure the freedom to Assembly and Demonstration, and make sure people are safe while exercising the right.

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