ssangyong motors strike in south korea ends in defeat and heavy repression

by Loren Goldner

The Ssangyong Motor Company strike and plant occupation in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, ended after 77 days on Aug. 5. For the 976 workers who seized the small auto plant on May 22 and held it against repeated quasi-military assault, the settlement signed by Ssangyong court receivership manager Park Young-tae and local union president Han Sang-kyun represented a near-total defeat. Worse still, the surrender was followed by detention and interrogation of dozens of strikers by police, possibly to be followed by felony charges, as well by a massive ($45 million) lawsuit against the Korean Metal Workers’ Union and probable further lawsuits against individual strikers for damages incurred during the strike. The hard-right Korean government of Lee Myong Bak is signaling with these measures-its latest and most dramatic “take no prisoners” victory over popular protest in the past year and a half– its intention to steamroller any potential future resistance to its unabashed rule on behalf of big capital.

radio interview with loren goldner on ssangyong factory occupation in south korea

Click here to hear an interesting radio interview with American left communist Loren Goldner, who lives in South Korea, on the factory occupation at a Ssangyong car plant in Pyeongtaek which has been maintained for two months in response to huge job cuts. See below for footage of the violent police attempts to smash the mass-sit-in, which workers have organised to resist.