PSPD in English Newsletter 2014-12-31   1431

PSPD English Newsletter, December 2014

Tongin Newsletter, December 2014

This month at PSPD, Dreams we are making together

 

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● Sewol Ferry Disaster

▶ The People’s council for the Sewol Ferry Disaster organized a discussion <Interim review of finding the truth of Sewol Ferry disaster and future tasks>. It examined current status of government-led probe and reviewed conflicting arguments on Sewol Ferry Special Act. In the forum <Government’s post-Sewol Ferry disaster safety measures and its problems>, it assessed safety measures of the government.

▶ While the leading party and the New Politics Alliance for Democracy agreed on outlines of Sewol Special Act on 31 October, they organized a memorial gathering of the people for the 200th day of Sewol Ferry disaster. On the same day, <Family memorial service, 200th day of Sewol Ferry Disaster> was held at Ansan joint memorial alter.

▶ PSPD has presented an issue report <Laws that must be improved in order to prevent the second Sewol Ferry disaster> which contains opinions on 10 laws to revise or enact concerning anti-corruption and safety measures.

▶ PSPD organized a gathering for families of Sewol Ferry victim’s and members. 

● Disputes over abolishing the minimum living cost.
▶ The National Assembly passed a revision of the Basic Living Cost Guarantee System (Basic system) which has changed to worse. The concept of the minimum living cost is abolished and replaced with ambiguous name ‘minimum guarantee standard’. The minimum living cost is a basic standard for all social welfare wages and basic rights but it is decided to be removed. PSPD and welfare activist organizations which are member of ‘Joint conference to keep people’s basic living’ have criticized and tried to persuade the National Assembly that abolishing the minimum living cost would destroy the rights of the poor.

● Controversy over wasting the budget
▶ How the budget has been wasted for grand national projects such as Four Major Rivers, Resource Diplomacy and Defense Industry are being revealed one after another. Hence, PSPD has proposed an enactment <Litigation of the People Act> for the purpose of enabling tax payers to regulate budget waste. When legislated, anyone can take a legal proceeding against central, regional and public corporations concerning illegal, wrongful execution of the budget.

▶ PSPD, the Justice Party and the People’s Livelihood Economy Committee of the Lawyers for Democratic Society have jointly prosecuted responsible personnel for ‘MB’s Resource Diplomacy’ who squandered people’s tax. The former and current presidents of public corporations including Korea Resource Corporation, Korea Gas Corporation and Korea National Oil Corporation were reported to the Prosecutor’s for the charge of breach of trust and dereliction of duty.

▶ The President Park Geun-hye announced the budget of 2015 in the administrative policy speech at the National Assembly on the 29th and said to risk a large deficit to boost the economy. The Budget Watch Network in which PSPD joined held a <The 2nd Government Budget Convention, 2015> at the National Assembly and pointed out 68 problematic projects in 7 sectors. It especially analyzed risks of safety projects categorized by the Ministry of Strategy and Finance and selected ‘Seven nonsensical safety budgets’ which were hard to be accepted as a safety project.  The Network and Naeil Daily are publishing a series ‘Budget wasting projects’ in the 2015 budget bill.

▶ PSPD presented a comment urging to reduce defense budget which has been smeared with corruptions. It also held a press conference together with Gangjeong village residents and demanded to reduce 2015 budget for Jeju Naval Base construction. Civil organizations appealed that naval base construction budget has ignored a decision of the National Assembly and promises with Jeju residents and furthermore gave seven reasons why the budget should be cut down.
 
● Disputes over free childcare and welfare budget
▶ The budget for childcare became controversial since the government has cut it down and tried to pass the buck to regional education offices. In addition, the government and a leading party have pressurized them to reduce and allot a budget for free school lunch. 
▶ Civil and Social organizations called the president on keeping the promise for free childcare and sparing nursery fee with a separate budget of the central government. They also asked both the central and provincial governments to be co-responsible for free school lunch. Furthermore, it suggested establishing a social consultative to resolve principle problems of education welfare.
▶ PSPD has published an analysis of 2015 Public Health and Welfare budget. It found out that a budget related to easing criteria of ‘Duty of supporting the family’ was not reflected which the government promised after “Suicide incident of a mother and two daughters in Songpa”. In regard to childcare expenses for children aged between 3-5, central government is passing the responsibility to regional education offices.
▶ A campaign <A Day for relaying a photo of parents and parent’s siblings who oppose suspension of childcare subsidies>was organized on 25 November.
 
● Reform of the public sector and pension reform for public servants
▶ In order to prevent an appointment of public positions by high-handed influence and improve its independency, PSPD has submitted <Opinions to improve governance of public organizations> to the National Assembly.
▶ While the government is having a dispute with public officers and teachers over a pension reform of public servants, PSPD has accepted a demand of the union to establish a social consultative in which a leading and opposition parties, civil and social organizations and involved parties participate, and suggested it to a political field.
   
● Support of whistle blowers for public interests.
▶ 514 citizens have made an action to protect whistle blowers for public interests. For one week, 514 citizens have singed in for a written request on the internet demanding to call off dismissal of a teacher Ahn Jong-hoon who reported an internal corruption and embezzlement of a school. PSPD has delivered the request to the Appeal Commission for Teachers.
▶ A press conference “Reinforcing protection measures for whistle blowers for public interest to make a safe society” was organized at the National Assembly by 11 lawmakers and 6 civil organizations who proposed a reform of <Protection of Public Interests Reporters Act>and <Corruption Prevention Act>.

● Kim Young Ran Act and rooting out Gwanfia (Government Mafia)
▶ A legislation to scrape out Gwanfia is being discussed at the National Assembly but it seems far away to complete
▶ On 11 November, an issue report <Reform bills waiting to be passed in order to resolve Gwanfia problems> was presented. It urged to quickly pass 24 reform bills of Public Service Ethics Act to reinforce restrictions on jobs public officers could take after retirement or resignation.
▶ A press conference was held by anticorruption organizations including Citizens’ Coalition for Economic Justice, PSPD, YMCA Korea, Transparency International Korea and Young Korean Academy, and called on legislation of Kim Young Ran Act for regulating wrongful asking of a favor and amendment of Public Service Ethics Act to reinforce restrictions on post retirement employment.

● Comments on court decisions – Nuclear power plant and SsangYong Motor case
▶ A review meeting was held to talk about the decision made by the Busan District Court which acknowledged that a nuclear plant was responsible for cancer outbreak of neighboring residents.
▶ The Supreme Court said the layoff of SsangYong Motors was ‘lawful’ and returned the case to the Seoul High Court. PSPD immediately issued protesting comments on 13 November and organized an urgent forum on 17 November.

● <Open National Assembly, Communicate Politics> project
▶ Meetings of the National Assembly are supposed to open to voters but they are opposite in reality. A group of more than 40 citizens are attending meetings of a general standing committee and subcommittees, and monitoring if they are open to the public and operated properly.
▶ An exhibition <Bring the National Assembly into the arms of citizens> was held on 18-21 November at the members’ office building of the National Assembly which calling to open to the public and reform the National Assembly.

● Human Rights in North Korea
▶ While the UN has added human rights issues in North Korea to the agenda and North Korea has strongly appealed against it, PSPD has published <Alternative approach to physically improve human rights in North Korea>. It suggests to seek the balance between peace settlement and pursuing human rights, and integrated improvement embracing various aspects of human rights including the right to freedom, the right to society and the right to peace.    
 

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