PSPD in English Archive 2000-10-31   1184

Editor’s Note

First of all, we would like to announce that the Asia Solidarity Quarterly is published in jointly by the Peoples Solidarity for Participatory Democracy and the Resource Center for Asian NGOs at Sungkonghoe University from the second issue on. The Resource Center was created in 1999 by Sungkonghoe University in order to cooperate with Asian NGOs both in their activities and academic research. The Center has been collecting the resources of associated civil organizations and their activities in Asia for exchange and distribution to concerned organizations and academic institutions. All the members of the committee are very pleased that the Resource Center for Asian NGOs has decided to participate in the publication of the ASQ.

In the second issue, we deal with two special topics. The first one is the issue of migrant workers in Korea. The number of migrant workers has increased drastically since 1987. However, they are working under hard conditions deprived of fundamental rights as workers. The Past and Present of Foreign Workers in Korea 1987-2000 by Dr. Seol Dong-hoon gives a general introduction about migrant workers in Korea. One leading civil organization which works on behalf of migrant workers, the Joint Committee for Migrant Workers in Korea, is introduced. In addition, a special education program for migrant workers is introduced, which is being organized by the Resource Center for Asian NGOs.

The second special topic is the South-North Summit Meeting in June, 2000. For informations sake, a briefly chronology of the South-North dialogue is given and agreements between South and North which should be noted are published first. Then two papers by Prof. Lee Chul-ki and Dr. Kim Yun-chul give some points for discussion concerning remaining tasks for the establishment of peace in the Korean peninsula and the intra-Korea economic exchanges and cooperation.

The stay of the U.S. armed forces in Korea is dealt with, too, focusing on one particular firing range, Maehyang-ri. The activities of people in two firing ranges in Korea and Puerto Rico, Maehyang-ri and Vieques, are comparatively described in Mr. Pak Kyung-haks article. As one of the most important problems concerning the U.S. armed forces in Korea, the ROK-US SOFA is critically reviewed and peoples activity for its amendment is introduced too. One tragedy during the Korean War, that is the massacre of villagers by the U.S. soldiers is illustrated in Do You Know Our Agony.

The activity of the PSPDs is introduced and Walhi, an Indonesian civil organization for the environment, is introduced, too. And the Dentists Association for a Healthy Society in Korea is introduced which set out to have a health care itinerary to Vietnam. The Role of NGOs in Modern West-European Societies by Dr. E. Hillebrand is specially published, which was given in the 3rd Round Table on the 26th of June organized by Sungkonghoe University and the Friedrich Ebert Foundation.

We are always open to listen to readers voices, especially critical reviews on the ASQ. Please do not hesitate to send us your comments, or your papers on your own activities that you think could be shared with readers.

Thank you very much.

Editor in Chief, Jin Youngjong, Deputy Secretary General, PSPD

Email: young@mail.skhu.ac.kr

Jin Youngjong, Editor in Chief

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