This August 15th was the 77th Independence Day. This was a day not just for the independence fighters who fought for independence from Japanese imperialism at home and abroad but also for all those who took to the streets to cheer the end of suffering in their workplaces and daily lives under Japanese tyranny. Less than a month later, the U.S. military arrived and "occupied" us again. While true independence did not last long, our people's fight continues.

In his Independence Day congratulatory speech, President Yoon Seok-yeol, who took office in May, stated, "Now, the mandate of the times calls for countries that share universal values to stand in solidarity to defend freedom and human rights and achieve peace and prosperity for all citizens of the world."

But, let's take a look at the reality of the Korean Peninsula. The victims of sexual slavery under the Japanese Imperial Army have held weekly Wednesday demonstration in front of the Japanese Embassy, demanding an official apology and compensation starting Jan. 8, 1992. However, anit-protestors have started taking turns 24/7 at the police station to report their rally in the same location thus displacing the Wednesday rally. In addition, these opposition rallies are interfering with the Wednesday demonstrations and threatening participants, insulting and caricaturizing victims and sexually harassing or swearing at participants. And the government is doing nothing to stop this. 

What about peace on the Korean Peninsula? In his congratulatory speech, President Yoon Seok-yeol said, "The audacious initiative that I envision will significantly improve North Korea's economy and its people's livelihoods in stages if the North ceases the development of its nuclear program and embarks on a genuine and substantive process for denuclearization." However, the next day, contrary to this sentiment, the Joint Chiefs of Staff announced that the US-ROK joint military exercises, which simulate an attack on North Korea and place its whole society on alert, would still be held. The training, which had been reduced or suspended since 2018, is currently taking place since August 22nd under the name of "Eulji Freedom Shield". Moreover, the South Korean and U.S. military authorities say they will "expand the scope and scale of joint military exercises in the Korean Peninsula." With military tensions on the Korean Peninsula and the region escalating and no sign of improvement in inter-Korean relations, the joint South Korea-U.S. military exercises are not helping peace on the Korean Peninsula at all.

Those who sacrificed their lives for independence 77 years ago didn’t see "freedom," "human rights," and "peace" as simply lofty but ultimately empty words as Yoon’s speech did. These words were important enough to dedicate their lives to fight and even die for. Looking back on the 77th Independence Day, we should remember those who devoted themselves to independence. Let us honor and continue their spirit by turning Yoon's empty words into reality.

Inequality is the Disaster

Cha Han-seon(Policy Research Team)  

The hand of disaster first reaches for the most vulnerable. The true cause of the recent floods in Korea is the inequality in our society. 

“There’s someone here! Help! Help!” their cries still echo in the air. The downpour overnight led to the death of a developmentally disabled person and their family who lived in a basement housing unit. The August heavy rain led to a total of 20 deaths and missing persons. 

Floods are devastating natural disasters that cause massive loss of lives and social costs, regardless of whether the country is rich or poor. What we need to focus on in the recent floods is that the people who lived in basement housing and shipping containers died because of extreme inequality. The poor are the first to suffer the impact of a disaster, which amplifies inequality even further. 

There must be a democratic and equitable policy process where the most vulnerable can participate in decision-making by speaking about their suffering and their ideas for alternatives. To this end, we need social solidarity that can level the uneven playing field. 

“The climate problem is a class problem. In the era of the climate catastrophe, this shows that the climate crisis is not a universal problem that confronts the entire humankind equally. The crisis has an impact on each class vastly different in nature and magnitude. Even in the same city, it impacted the residents of Gangnam skyscrapers and basement tenants in immensely different ways. To the people at the bottom of the capitalist pyramid, the climate crisis presents a clear and immediate danger to their survival..” (Jang Seok-jun). 

All the deaths in the recent floods are not deaths by some act of god or some force of nature, but by a man-made disaster by the complacent flood control measures of the Seoul Metropolitan Government. The inequality highlighted by the recent climate disasters is the most important task of real politics, but the political establishment seems unconcerned. This catastrophe can only be seen as a social tragedy orchestrated by the national and metropolitan governments that abandoned the most vulnerable to the disaster, and their unrealistic policies will not prevent any crises in the future.  

That is why inequality is the disaster. 

Towards A Society For All:

Korea’s Disabled People’s Movement

ISC began news briefing in August. We discover progressive articles at home and abroad three times a week and share them on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter in Korean and English. We are planning to prepare and share news briefings that will develop in the future. If you like and follow the SNS of the International Strategy Center and share it with others, it will be a great help.

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Our August Progressive Forum — Post Roe v. Wade: Reproductive Rights Through the US Lens — was co-sponsored by the Seoul Women’s Association. In the Progressive Forum, the Seoul Women’s Association presented on the history and current state of abortion rights in Korea. The presentation was followed by an interview with Joyce Chediac, who had been a part of the breakthrough struggles for reproductive rights as a member of Redstockings in the 60s and 70s. A member of the Party for Socialism and Liberation, she is also an editor in its Liberation News and staff in its women's Breaking the Chains. Below is our group photo and our post-event lunch with the Seoul Women’s Association at the Sister’s Little Library. 

The edited version of the event's recording will be posted in next month's newsletter.