PSPD in English Newsletter 2015-06-29   2776

PSPD English Newsletter, March 2015

Tongin Newsletter, March 2015

This month at PSPD, Dreams we are making together
 

● Sewol Ferry salvage and finding the truth

▶ Families of Sewol Ferry disaster and ordinary citizens have marched from Seoul to the Paengmok port in order to urge Sewol Ferry salvage, search of missing passengers and finding the truth without a barrier. The parade started at Ansan Memorial Alter on 26 January and arrived at the Paengmok port on 14 February and more than 3,000 citizens had joined along the way.  

 

▶ Since the Saenury Party floor leader condemned the establishment preparation team for 416 Sewol Ferry Disaster Special Investigation Committee (416 Special Committee) as a ‘tax thief’ and gave a guideline not to be cooperative, committee members selected with the leading party’s recommendation including Hwang Jeon-won and Cha Ki-hwan had started to insist that budget and human resources were excessive and improperly allocated even though they have taken a part in discussions. Nevertheless, raising issues failed to get supports from majority of other members. Thereupon, families and people from different part of society presented “Declaration of All levels of society calling for normal process of setting up the 416 Special Committee” on 3 February and kept talking to each member.

 

▶ Having the lunar new year holidays, families of Sewol ferry and the People’s council for the Sewol Ferry Disaster printed 200,000 flyers urging “All collection of the missing of Sewol ferry”, “Finding the truth of Sewol ferry disaster” and “Normalizing the 416 Special Committee”, and distributed them to travelers at more than 50 train stations and bus terminals including the Seoul Station.

 

▶ Victims and families of Sewol ferry disaster established a corporation ‘416 Family Council’ in January. In addition, citizens and civil society who have worked to find the truth together are preparing to set up ‘416 People’s Solidarity’. While the ‘People’s council for the Sewol Ferry Disaster’ is a solidarity of organizations, ‘416 People’s Solidarity’ is an integrated action body in which families, citizens and organizations participate as a member. It is going to start sailing on 4 March.

 

● Budget waste for Lee Myung-bak government’s Resource Diplomacy

▶ On the start of an National Assembly investigation for the budget wasted for resource diplomacy, PSPD, Minbyun and the Justice Party have established the ‘People’s Council to find facts about swindles and budget squander of MB administration’s resource diplomacy’ on 3 February and have begun a campaign ‘Demand the truth to Lee Myung-bak, a former president’ 

 

▶ The ‘People’s Council’ held a press conference in front of the house of a former president Lee Myung-bak in Nonhyun-dong in order to protest against distorted descriptions in a book ‘Lee Myung-bak memoirs’ and call him to attend a hearing of National Assembly. Furthermore, it reported Lee Gil-gu, a former president of Korea East -west power Co. Ltd to the prosecutors for business malpractice incurring the loss of 80.5 billion won from investing in Jamaica Power Company.   
 
● Court said ‘not guilty for a charge of contempt’

▶ Three people who left critical comments about an eastern painter in online community were litigated by prosecutors for a charge of contempt. The jury judged on 2 February that two were innocent and one was guilty for some expressions. PSPD believes that this jury trial has confirmed that it is necessary to restrict prosecutors from abusing litigation for contempt.   
  
● Supreme Court said ‘not guilty’ for a conspiracy of rebellion and ‘guilty’ for NIS’s intervention in the presidential election

▶ The Supreme Court decided on 22 January that Lee Seok-ki, a former lawmaker of the United Progressive Party and six others were guilty for instigating a rebellion but not guilty for plotting. Hence, PSPD, Minbyun and the Democratic Legal Studies Association jointly held a forum on 29 January to review the court’s decision.

 

▶ Accordingly to the decision of the high court last January that Won Se-hoon, a former president of NIS violated the election law, PSPD urged dismissal of Hwang Gyo-an and Kim Gwan-jin. Hwang a Justice Minister put pressure to minimize the Won’s case and a chief secretary for security Kim Gwan-jin was responsible for the same kind of presidential election intervention of an cyber command unit when he was a defense minister. 

 

● Patching up nursery system and angry moms

▶ After the incident of beaten children at a nursery in Incheon last January, a child was dead at a nursery in Ulsan on 1 February. Hence, civil organizations and parents wishing for proper nursery system gathered at the government Seoul office in Gwanghwamun and held a press conference on 2 February. They pointed out problems and demanded to stop patching up but improve nursery policy as follows. △ establishing more public nurseries △ expanding parent’s participation in nursery management △ enhancing management and surveillance △ improving working conditions and social safety for nursery teachers △ policy for working moms.
 
● Lone Star stock price manipulation

▶ The Korea Exchange Bank has known to have paid more than 40 billion KRW to the Lone Star without a board’s approval for damages related to a ‘Korean Exchange Bank Card stock price manipulation’ case. For this matter, PSPD, Minbyun and the Financial Justice have submitted a letter requesting an investigation to the Financial Service Commission on 3 February for the purpose of finding whether arbitrary payment of the Korea Exchange Bank and Hana Financial Group is a breach of trust of the management. In addition, if the payment is made because Lone star and Hana made an agreement for their own good but contrary to the interest of the Korea Exchange Bank, it is also a violation of the Bank Act. 
  
● Lee Hak-su Special Bill

▶ There is an attempt to enact a Special Bill to prevent Chaebols such as Samsung Group from inheriting properties using abnormal routes which they have never been punished properly for those acts. Naming after a vice chairman of Samsung Group, it is so called ’Lee Hak-su Special Act’. Park Young-sun a member of the New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD) party is leading enactment process and experts from organizations including PSPD and the Solidarity for Economic Reform are providing advices.

 

▶ The formal title of ‘Lee Hak-su Special bill’ is ‘Act on retrieving profits and redeeming damages caused by a specific crime’. According to the bill, the state would actively collect profits made from property crimes such as business malpractices or embezzlements of a great amount and use them to save victims. 
 
● Bill for a dispatch of Korean Army to overseas is unconstitutional

▶ PSPD has handed in a letter of opinions of five constitution scholars to the National Assembly that 「Act on participation of Korean Army in overseas」which is pending at the Legislative Committee violates a principle of international peace stated in the Constitution.  

 

● Administrative Proceeding over Gangjeong Village

▶ The Navy executed administrative proceeding over Gangjeong village residents and peace activists on 31 January with the support of private securities and the police. They had set a lookout and a tent to protest against construction of Navy residence in the middle of Gangjeong village which was not initially planned. 24 residents and activists were taken to a police station and arrest warrants were requested against four including Jo Kyung-cheol, a chief resident. Fortunately, arrest warrants were rejected by court. They attempted to set up a protest tent at the entrance of construction site on 20 February during lunar New Year holiday but it was forcibly removed two hours later by the Navy and the police.   

 

▶ Village general meeting disapproved construction of military residence within a village and Won Hee-ryong, a Jeju provincial governor also said that there would not be a construction without an agreement of residents.
 
● THAAD and military cooperation among Korea, US and Japan

▶ US Department of state brought an issue to the public that THAAD, a high-end defense system to hit very powerful missiles and similar weapons would be deployed in South Korea. Instantly, China and other nations have expressed concerns and civil organizations held a joint press conference on 13 February to oppose the plan. PSPD argued that THAAD was a US-led missile defense system which would worsen the arms race between US and China, and pointed out that deployment in South Korea would provoke North Korea to develop more sophisticated nuclear weapons and missiles.

 

▶ On the other hand, PSPD and the Young Korean Academy submitted a letter of appeal to the National Assembly on 24 February demanding a National Assembly investigation on the MOU for the sharing of intelligence among Korea, US and Japan in which the government signed without any prior discussions. The MOU which came into effect on 29 December 2014 was not only proceed and signed under the table ignoring the National Assembly and Korean citizens but also falsely reported after the event disguising the truth. Therefore, it infringed the right to be informed for the people and disabled the authority of the National Assembly secured in the constitution.
  
● OFF! Wolsung nuclear power plant no. 1

▶ ‘Joint action for the nuclear-free society’ is consisted with 77 organizations nationwide and it is carrying out campaigns to close down Wolsung nuclear power plant no. 1 including ‘People’s declaration – We want to live in a safe country’ 

 

▶ As of end of February, there is a dispute in the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission over holding a residents hearing for extending old and expired Wolsung nuclear power plant no. 1. Secretariat office is trying to avoid a hearing while commission members want to proceed.

 

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