Members of the progressive parties movement built their party from the ground up, and had to make their way into the parliament with their bare hands in the 20th century, as
as the development of progressive political parties was unprecedented, and in some degrees, barricaded. This was mainly because the suppression by the military-led government and their propaganda which often identified these political groups with communists from North Korea communist party, in other words, Commies. They struggled their ways through this slander, prejudice and people's negligence. And, in the course, some even lost their lives from illness, poverty and overwork.
Through this harsh environment and numerous ups and downs, when visible and invisible to the public eye, Roh still remained as one of the cornerstones in the 'party that leads progress' movement, focusing on the 'Politics for the laborer and the poor'. To commemorate him, I present the following acceptance speech for co-chairman of the Justice party, in 2012.
Three flowers for chairman while only one for board members... If I become a chairman, this inequality and budget waste should be uprooted (Laughter. Applause)
There is a bus, route number 6411.
Starting its route from 'Tree Park' in Guro district, through Gang-nam, to 1st apartment in Gaepo district, it runs its course in about two hours. Tomorrow morning, first one will start its run at 4:00. This one and following 4:05 bus, get full after 15 minutes from its departure. When it reaches Sindorim and Guro-market, seats are full, and passengers are packed and seated in corridors. This same weird scenary happens, day after day.
New passengers are rarely to be found. Exact same passengers every day. Even though it isn't a commute bus, there seems to be a designated seat. Every passenger knows who gets on which stop, who gets off at which stop. Such a peculiar bus it is. Those who use this bus are, ones that must wake up on 3:00, and arrive on their workplace in Gangnam office buildings by 5:30. For there's no subway train in this early morning, they have to commute on this bus. When one of the passengers happen to have absence, everyone knows; who from where missed the bus.
However, later that day, when it becomes regular commute time, when other citizens get on the bus in the daytime, when they get on the bus after their work and to their homes in nighttime, no passenger of this bus knows that, this 6411 buses in four AM gets nearly full from the garage, drop manifests of women in their fifties and sixties in many stops in Gangnam district, then goes back to garage. The same applies to their workplaces. Althought many young workers -- in the ages of their sons and daughters -- go in and out of that building, none of them knows that their offices are cleaned and maintained by the elders who starts their work at 5:30.
They have their names from their birth, but they are not called by their name. "Adju-money" (elder women) it is. Just that. One janitor worker who cleans. These ones, who get paid $800 a month, they are the 'invisibles'. They exist, but their existence we cannot recognize, nevertheless they live together with us. The same applies to subcontracted workers of Hyundai-motors on their strike over High-voltage-wire towers[2], to Ssangyong workers, 23 of whom lost their lives[3]. The same applies to the five who vanished in Namil-dang building, whose ground lies barren for years and years[4]. They are invisible.
I ask myself this; They are the ones who have no time to watch prime-time news shows, because they have to sleep. For that, it is no surprise that they don't know Shimin Yu, Sang-jeong Shim, and me, Hoechan Roh[5]. But, does that mean, that they don't go through hard moments when their lives are burdensome to them? WHERE WERE WE when they look for someone like us, when they were in trouble? Were we at the reach of their sight? Were we at the reach of their hands? Were we in the place where their voice can reach us?
I will blame no one. But, this party we now build together will only, when we exist for these invisibles who actually and actively maintain this country in its operation, find a fraction of its meaning. To face the truth, WE WERE INVISIBLES TO THEM IN THE MEANTIME. We spoke out politics for the weak, but we weren't there when they needed us, in the reach of their hands. We existed, but we were not seen. Invisible party, that were the progressive parties in this country.
Now I, would like to carry this party to where they can smell us, reach out their hands to grab us, with you. Now I ask you, whether you are ready for that.
River runs deep and wide while it runs towards its estuary. Ideals of people's party we speak of, will be achieved, only when we go down and low. I will accept this co-chairman's seat with burden on my mind, that you chose this man of insuffience for that reason. While this party exists, I will put my every strength to support Sang-jeong Shim, to achieve a regime-change we longed for, and to establish this party -- as we wish for -- THE PARTY FOR THE INVISIBLES, I will throw every piece of me. Come with me, thank you.
[1] Labor movements in South Korea can be roughly divided into two categories; ones that focus on class struggles on premise, to fight each issues and companies on the union ground; and ones that focuses on the politics that neglect the labor and the poverty, and establishing the party for laborer and the poor. Roh was in the latter group from late 1980's, to elect people's candidate to the president. He failed to achieve that in 1992, when Baek Gi-wan was the candidate.
[2] After 1997 crisis in Korea, conglomerates in Korea focused on outsourcing its core labors to subcontractors. Anti-precariat labor laws which enforced the employers to employ the laborers after two years of service, were sidestepped, by closing down the subcontractors and establishing the new subcontractors via paperwork, while the laborers worked consecutively on the same factory. Workers on Hyundai-motors company filed a lawsuit that this is a violation on labor law, and won their supreme court decision. Court forced Hyundai-motors to employ them by their name, but Hyundai didn't. Mentioned workers are those who climbed the high-towers to claim that the company follow the court order.
[3] Ssangyong motors were sold from Ssangyong group to Daewoo group, which soon became bankrupt, and after Government workout process, Ssangyong motors were sold to Shanghai motors. In 2008, based on falsely written financial assessment report, Shanghai motors fired thousands of employees. Labor union went on strike in 2009, but government quickly deployed SWAT team to lock them on the factory, cut the supplies including medicine and water, and launched para-military breakdown operation on them. After 70 days, struggles were closed down when all union members surrendered and got arrested. Many union members and their family suffered severe PTSD, and to this moment, 30 of them died.
[4] Yong-san district, formerly at U.S. Army disposal, were released to Korean government. Land prices soared high, and the redevelopment project ensued right after. The project owners were eager to start their project, so they hired local gangsters under the name of 'private security company' and harassed the tenants of the building. In Jan. 2009, some of them went on occupation at Nam-il dang building to speak out their harsh circumstances, but the government quickly shut down the building and deployed SWAT team to arrest them, right on that day. In due process, fire broke out, and five members of the occpuants and 1 police officer lost their lives. Court ruled against the occupants, that they are fully responsible for the deaths on that day, and sentenced them up to 6 years in prison.
[5] Those three were core members of Justice party, and most renowned members of the party. Shim was a factory-labor union legend and comrade with Roh, Yu was a famous public figure as critic, writer, political party organizer, and former minister in Mu-hyun Roh presidency.
