Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU)
Monthly Newsletter
The Second Edition, 2008
KCTU Position on the Ministry of Labor’s 2008 Report to the President
1. On the 13th of March, the Ministry of Labor stated in its report to the President that it would focus on the advancement of industrial relations as the main driving force behind improving the economy and creating new jobs. The Ministry's 'advancement of industrial relations' signifies cooperation between employers and workers, at the center of which is restraint from strikes and pay raises on the part of the unions. It has been presented to buttress the Lee Myung-bak government's economic policy and in essence, forces the workers to make unilateral sacrifices. This is unacceptable in a situation where inflation means that real wages are decreasing and irregular workers can barely scrape by with making only 1200$ a month on average. With economic polarization deteriorating by the day, the employment stability of the irregular workers and wage increases for them are in order, but the Ministry of Labor has continued to present policies in line with the market principle of the Lee government. The Ministry has forgotten that it needs to represent the rights and interests of the 14 million workers in this country, and has solely stressed pro-corporate policies that are designed to increase labor flexibility.
2. The Ministry of Labor also stated that it would resolve industrial disputes based on the principle of the rule of law, and come up with a tailored response to various types of conflicts in order to further this type of industrial cooperation. Even though restraint of demands for wage raises and the urging of no strikes in effect constitutes a violation of basic labor rights, this statement has taken the position that it will repress with state power collective action, as in the case of Koscom. However, the reality is that after the irregular workers' bill went into effect last year, mass lay-offs have ensued and despite clear demonstration of unjust labor practices by the employers during this process, the government has failed to take measures to reprimand non-compliance, and has rather stepped up oppression of collective action. The Ministry had previously announced that it would deal severely with illegal acts regardless of whether they were perpetrated by the employers or workers, but has deleted articles in the industrial relations act that stipulate unjust lay-offs on the part of the employers will be dealt with the criminal code. This means that even when an employer unjustly lays-off a worker in order to intervene in trade union activities, this act cannot be disciplined according to the criminal code, while collective action on the part of the workers can be punished under the name of obstruction of business. Taking this into account, the Ministry of Labor's principle of the rule of law is likely to translate into unilateral repression of just struggles on the part of workers for guarantee of rights and their livelihood.
3. The Ministry of Labor has stated that it would come up with various complementary measures, including revisions to the law and institutional changes, in order to resolve the issue of irregular work. However, such changes are being pursued with the flexibilization of labor as the objective, and would expand irregular work and not contribute to protecting their rights. The problem with the current irregular workers' bill is that it is impossible to attain irregular workers' employment stability by simply limiting the period of their use, and that you need to limit the grounds on which precarious work can be used in order to do so. However, the Ministry is adhering to the line that the period of irregular workers' can be used needs to be extended from 2 to 3 years: the employers' position. Moreover, the Ministry of Labor is planning to expand the areas in which dispatch work can be used, which is a clear sign that it seeks to further neo-liberal labor flexibilization, and thereby exacerbate the employment crisis which the irregular workers face.
4. The Ministry of Labor has announced plans to improve the wage system from one based on seniority to one based on productivity, and also for the expansion of flexible work schedules for a revitalized labor market. Flexible work schedules is a employer-centered institution which forces longer working hours onto the workers, and which also cuts their wages. A wage system based on technical proficiency and level of skill at the industrial level is the right path, while one based on productivity can lead to wage cuts for older workers. Changes to the wage system and working hours are issues that have a direct effect on the wages of workers, and should never be decided upon uni-laterally. It should be decided at the industrial level by applying the principle of equal wages for equal value labor in order to reduce wage disparities.
5. Coverage through the industrial accident insurance is due to be extended to specially employed workers such insurance salesmen, golf caddies, cement mixer drivers, and home study teachers. However, the number of specially employed workers, resulting from diversification of the economy, is not just limited to these workers but also includes quick delivery workers, screenwriters, dump truck drivers, tele-marketers and others. Industrial accident insurance, as a form of social insurance, needs to be extended to all these workers. ■
[Comment] Relaxing the separation between financial and industrial capital : the Lee Myung-bak government goes all out for the Chae-bol
April 2nd, 2008
Corporate taxes will be lowered, public corporations will be privatized, and now the restrictions industrial capital owning financial firms will be lifted. There is no end to the pro-chaebol policies of the Lee Myung-bak government. The national finance committee, in its report to the President on the 31st of March, made official its three-stage plan to relax the laws which had restricted industrial capital from owning banks.
With the crisis management abilities of financial institutions yet untested, and a transparent and rigorous monitoring system still not in place, allowing industrial capital control over banks and thereby allowing banks to become bigger in size would not increase competitiveness, but rather raise the level of risk in the financial sector. Taking into the account the illegal practices of the chae-bol and their culture of collusion, a downgrading of financial transparency is a real possibility. In the case a chae-bol conglomerate finds itself insolvent, market logic dictates that a bank that has lent to it stop additional lending and attempt to recover the money. However, what bank owned by a chae-bol would be able to turn against its mother company if the restrictions between industrial and financial capital were relaxed? The bank would then delay recovering the funds, with the company potentially going into further debt. The situation could lead to tax money being injected to save the chae-bol and bank in order to rescure it, with re-structuring programs being instituted that would seriously effect the workers. This is exactly what happened with the Daewoo securities, which was mobilized to try to save the Daewoo group from falling into further crisis.
The relaxing of such regulations also leads to concern that financial firms could be abused to become the monetary source for reckless expansion into other areas of business, while they could also be mobilized to strengthen chae-bol control over subsidiary companies through circular/mutual financing. The most salient example of such practices was the circular financing between the Samsung group's subsidiaries. This method of financing connected various subsidiaries in a ring of complex mutual financing(‘Everland- Samsung Life Insurance- Samsung Electronics- Samsung Card -Everland') and allowed the Lee family to retain control over the Samsung group. With restrictions on financial firms controlling non-financial enterprises, Samsung Life Insurance had been forced to lower the percentage of stocks it owned in Samsung Electronics. If these restrictions and regulations are revoked, it will open up the way for Everland to restore the circular network of control that it had previously had. Everland's largest shareholder is an individual: Lee Jae-yong, the son of Samsung Group chairman Lee Kun-hee. This is the reason why the Samsung Economic Research Institute has constantly called for the relaxation of regulations and restrictions governing the relationship between industrial and financial capital.
In the end, the Lee Myung-bak government's policies regarding such regulations will only strengthen the monopolistic control of the chae-bol, while consolidating their inner control structure. It is the clearest sign yet that its policies are geared toward solely the chae-bols. ■
[Statement] The lay-off of 99 Allianz Life Insurance workers is the responsibility of the Lee Myung-bak government
April 1st, 2008
The administrative committee at Allianz Life Insurance has decided to lay-off the 99 trade union members that have been on strike. This is a clear case of unjust lay-offs and needs to be immediately retracted. Those responsible also need to be held accountable. The 99 workers were all managers of branch offices, but they were legally trade union members with the right to strike. Nevertheless, management decided on their dismissal after the Minster of Labor stated that they "were not subjects that could join a union." The grounds for dismissal were identical to the Minister's comment. In effect, the Minister of Labor has taken sides with the managers and shown a disregard for legal rights that has lead to mass lay-offs.
Allianz Life Insurance acquired Che-il Life Insurance in 1999, and has gone through a restructuring process that has seen the number of employers decrease to 1600 from 2700. They are now attempting a second round of re-structuring by implementing a performance based pay system. However, the employers and union had previously agreed "to implement a performance based system that is acceptable to both management and union" in 2005 and again in 2006. The strike was sparked when the company broke the agreement in Jan of this year and tried to force through the new wage system. The breach of agreements between management and employees is itself illegal, as are the lay-offs.
According to the Lawyers for a Democratic Society, those that have been laid off are sales managers that have only had their titles changed, and "the Ministry of Labor in the past has recognized trade unions formed by sales managers, and recognizes them at most companies as trade union members." Moreover, Supreme Court rulings in 2003 and 2004 have confirmed that trade union membership of branch managers is legitimate, rendering the Allianz employer's argument that branch managers aren't entitled to basic labor rights because they are part of management groundless.
Regarding such unjust labor practices by the employers, the Lee Myung-bak government much touted 'principle of the rule of law' has disappeared. What's more, the labor minister has taken the lead in siding with the employers while disregarding basic labor rights, further reinforcing the Lee government's 'principle' of favoring the employers. The KCTU urges the Allianz Life Insurance company to revoke its unjust lay-off of workers and to take back the new performance-based wage scheme which it had uni-laterally forced upon the workers. We also urge the Ministry of Labor to intervene to stop the repression of the workers and call on the government to recognize the unjust nature of the current situation at the company and take measures to correct them. Ignoring such calls will result in the KCTU, in solidarity with the Allianz Life Insurance union and the KCFLU(KOREAN FEDERATION OF CLERICAL & FINANCIAL LABOR UNIONS ), organizing a national struggle on the issue. ■
MTU Continues the Struggle for the Labor Rights of Undocumented Migrant Workers
Since 2005, when the KCTU-affiliate, the Seoul-Gyeonggi-Incheon Migrants Trade Union (MTU) was first formed, the South Korean government has been trying to stop its activities. The government claims that because MTU’s leadership is made up mostly of undocumented migrant workers, it does not have the right to legal union status. Repression against MTU increased last November with the arrest and deportation of MTU’s president, vice-president and general secretary all at the same time in a targeted crackdown. MTU was not silent in the face of this attack. Supported by KCTU, the Korean labor movement and Korean civil society, we responded with a sit-in protest that lasted over three months, culminating in a mass protest on 24 February, attended by over a thousand migrant workers, Korean workers, activists and Korean citizens. At the same time MTU carried out an intensive campaign to reorganize our chapters and branches, which had been severely weakened to the government’s crackdown against undocumented migrant workers and its targeting of MTU.
MTU is now ready to push forwarded to expand our work and continue to strengthen our union. Our sit-in protest concluded on 11 March with closing ceremony attended by supporters from all sectors of the labor movement at which MTU’s acting leadership, union members and supporters made pledges for continued struggle in the future. Many MTU members have also come forward as leaders elected in chapter and branch elections, demonstrating their courage in the face of continued repression. On 6 April, we also held our general assembly to elect our new president, vice presidents, general secretary and other central officers and adopted our organizing and campaign plans for 2008.
The road ahead is not easy. After the Seoul High Court ruled last year that undocumented migrant workers’ right to freedom of association is protected under South Korean law and MTU therefore deserves legal recognition as a union, we are now awaiting a Supreme Court decision. However, recently on March 19, President Lee Myeong-bak made a statement that a union by undocumented migrant workers would not tolerated, clearly referring to MTU. This statement demonstrates that the Supreme Court ruling is by no means a foregone conclusion in our favor; it will take our determined effort and support domestically and internationally before MTU’s legal union status and the right of migrant workers to union organizing is respected.
Last December KCTU filed a complaint with the ILO Committee on Freedom of Association concerning MTU’s case. It is clear that the complaint and MTU’s struggle has already received considerable attention from the international labor and human rights communities. This was demonstrated on 18 March when MTU spoke at a side event at the 7th Session of the UN Human Rights Council co-sponsored by Migrant Rights International, Forum-Asia and KCTU. MTU and KCTU are also planning am international campaign to further raise awareness about MTU’s case and build support for the right to freedom of association of all migrant workers regardless of their immigration status. Through this campaign we seek to demonstrate that MTU’s struggle is not only for migrant workers in South Korea, but a struggle to win recognition for the labor rights of migrant workers worldwide. ■
Monday, April 14, 2008
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
NCLB, Lee Myung-bak style
Sickening.
(More sickening:
Government unveils debt rescue scheme
The government yesterday announced plans to bail out as many as 290,000 credit delinquents and extend more credit loans to struggling small enterprises.
Under the initiative named "New Start 2008," individual credit delinquents will be allowed to get loans with their deposits in the national pension fund as collateral, and pay back their debts, beginning in August.
They can borrow half the amount of their accumulated pension contributions.
There are currently up to 2.6 million credit delinquents, and financial authorities are considering various possible measures to rescue them from snowballing debt and interest.
A separate rescue plan is expected to be announced later this week.
"New Start is our way of putting people back on their feet, while at the same time preventing the abuse of the system and burdening state finances," said Lee Dong-kwan, the presidential spokesman.
But to prevent possible moral hazard, the government said that the redemption scheme will be implemented temporarily.
The rescue project comes amid mounting criticism that the new Lee Myung-bak government - with its very rich ministers - has little regard for the economically disadvantaged.
Civic groups have been calling on the administration to assist viable participants in the market to help them get back into the competitive economy, since the growing number of delinquents and other social outcasts has been taking a toll on the overall health of the economy.
Addressing such demands, Cheong Wa Dae said the New Start project aimed to offer aid to those who have been pushed to the margins because they were underprivileged to start with, or as a result of certain policy errors.
"If we don't get these people back on their feet again, there is no way we can ever ease the structural polarization that defines our society today," said the presidential office, explaining of the program's mission.
New Start also outlines plans to extend a total of 1 trillion won ($1 billion) in loans to struggling proprietors via provincial credit guarantee funds. The loans, however, will be limited to 10 million won or less per company.
Up to 125,000 companies may become beneficiaries, assuming that they each receive an average of 8 million won, the presidential office said.
To provide better protection for temporary workers, the government said it would urge companies to provide all workers with employment insurance.
Regarding local farms, the government vowed to use some 4.35 billion won to start a state-run lending business for farming equipment. This is in response to the fact that farms spend so much money to buy new equipment. In addition, livery farms will be given access to 1 trillion won in loans, which the government plans to extend at a low interest of 3 percent. These loans are to be used for purchasing feed, as prices have lately surged due to soaring demand.
To help attract more people to the nation's struggling traditional markets, the administration devised a plan to allow government officials to use their "welfare points" at such markets. Officials are currently given up to 640,000 won a year to cover costs related to education and health care.
The presidential office has designated every last Saturday of the month as a day for visiting traditional markets.
By Kim Ji-hyun*
(jemmie@heraldm.com)
2008.03.26
*Kim Ji-hyun, if I should some day have the pleasure of meeting you, you will regret getting out of bad that day.
(More sickening:
Government unveils debt rescue scheme
The government yesterday announced plans to bail out as many as 290,000 credit delinquents and extend more credit loans to struggling small enterprises.
Under the initiative named "New Start 2008," individual credit delinquents will be allowed to get loans with their deposits in the national pension fund as collateral, and pay back their debts, beginning in August.
They can borrow half the amount of their accumulated pension contributions.
There are currently up to 2.6 million credit delinquents, and financial authorities are considering various possible measures to rescue them from snowballing debt and interest.
A separate rescue plan is expected to be announced later this week.
"New Start is our way of putting people back on their feet, while at the same time preventing the abuse of the system and burdening state finances," said Lee Dong-kwan, the presidential spokesman.
But to prevent possible moral hazard, the government said that the redemption scheme will be implemented temporarily.
The rescue project comes amid mounting criticism that the new Lee Myung-bak government - with its very rich ministers - has little regard for the economically disadvantaged.
Civic groups have been calling on the administration to assist viable participants in the market to help them get back into the competitive economy, since the growing number of delinquents and other social outcasts has been taking a toll on the overall health of the economy.
Addressing such demands, Cheong Wa Dae said the New Start project aimed to offer aid to those who have been pushed to the margins because they were underprivileged to start with, or as a result of certain policy errors.
"If we don't get these people back on their feet again, there is no way we can ever ease the structural polarization that defines our society today," said the presidential office, explaining of the program's mission.
New Start also outlines plans to extend a total of 1 trillion won ($1 billion) in loans to struggling proprietors via provincial credit guarantee funds. The loans, however, will be limited to 10 million won or less per company.
Up to 125,000 companies may become beneficiaries, assuming that they each receive an average of 8 million won, the presidential office said.
To provide better protection for temporary workers, the government said it would urge companies to provide all workers with employment insurance.
Regarding local farms, the government vowed to use some 4.35 billion won to start a state-run lending business for farming equipment. This is in response to the fact that farms spend so much money to buy new equipment. In addition, livery farms will be given access to 1 trillion won in loans, which the government plans to extend at a low interest of 3 percent. These loans are to be used for purchasing feed, as prices have lately surged due to soaring demand.
To help attract more people to the nation's struggling traditional markets, the administration devised a plan to allow government officials to use their "welfare points" at such markets. Officials are currently given up to 640,000 won a year to cover costs related to education and health care.
The presidential office has designated every last Saturday of the month as a day for visiting traditional markets.
By Kim Ji-hyun*
(jemmie@heraldm.com)
2008.03.26
*Kim Ji-hyun, if I should some day have the pleasure of meeting you, you will regret getting out of bad that day.
Thursday, March 06, 2008
KCTU Newsletter: POSCO in India, Lee Myung-bak
I haven't seen these newsletters posted anywhere so I'll put them here when I get them
Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU)
Monthly Newsletter - The First Edition, 2008 (Feb 25th, 2008)
For the Lee Myung-bak government: the realization of democratic values is the key, not a "global Korea" of savage market competition
Lee Myung-bak will take office today as president. The key themes of his government have already been outlined: advancement, practicalism, a global Korea, revitalizing the economy, change/autonomy/creativity, etc. This simply means that he will closely adhere to the logic of neo-liberalism as the principle for managing the country. He has already stated that standard for enacting all policies would be how 'business friendly' they were, and in reorganizing the government structure has made clear that he wants a 'corporate-style' government. Regarding public enterprises and the public sector in general, his plan is not to raise the quality of services for the people of the country, but to restructure them through marketization. Comments have been made regarding introducing market logic into the social welfare system as well. The Lee Myung-bak government is thus fully prepared to implement and systemize a winner-take-all neo-liberal competition regime. We are deeply concerned that a new age of authoritarianism, based on the sacrifice of the workers, peasants, and the socially dispossessed, may be approaching.
Our society has experienced a rapid polarization of the economy from the neo-liberal policies instituted after the financial crisis of 1997. The reason that the previous Roh government was defeated by such a large margin in the last presidential elections was due in large part to the fact that he wasn't able to alleviate the polarization that had excluded the socially weak. Therefore, if Lee Myung-bak, voted in by a large margin, wishes to serve the people and revitalize the economy as he has promised, then he must urgently resolve the structural problem that is economic polarization. The task that Lee has been bestowed with by the people and history, is to redistribute in a balanced way the wealth that is concentrated in a small group and to realize economic democracy in order to protect the socially dispossessed.
However, the Lee government has pushed forward with policies that have disappointed the public, such as deregulation regarding corporate activities, relaxing the restrictions on the finance industry, and unprepared proposals regarding english education. The view of the new government regarding industrial relations has also stressed the law and principle over dialogue and compromise, while pursuing the flexibilization of the labor market, privatization of the public sector, and 'advancement' of industrial relations law and institutions. In a nutshell, this means that the new government will continue to increase the number of irregular workers in order to further flexibilize the labor market, and will oppress the workers that resist in the name of the law and principle. The Lee government's labor policy is equal to sacrificing the workers in order to create a 'business friendly' environment. Furthermore, Lee has already made clear his anti-worker stance through various disparaging and distorting comments aimed at unions and workers. This renders questionable his competence as the leader of the country, and his view on labor needs to undergo a fundamental change.
A core task that our society faces in its battle to overcome polarization is reducing the number of, and guaranteeing basic labor rights to, the irregular workers that face constant employment instability, exclusion from basic rights, and low wages. However, the Lee government has not only promised to ratify the Korea-US Free Trade Agreement, but has also declared that it will seek the conclusion of multiple FTAs, exposing the Korean economy to indiscriminate competition and the public sector to private capital, thereby exacerbating polarization.
Furthermore, regarding the formulation and implementation of policies, the Lee government has tended to bulldoze them through rather than subject them to democratic processes and social debates. This leads us to the concern that his time in office could be detrimental to democracy. President Lee has repeatedly spoken about running his political party and the government as a CEO, and about the need to resort to authoritarian means to control demonstrations. Nowhere is this more clear than in his view regarding the construction of a canal that runs across the country: he has said that the majority of the public is opposed to it because they haven't seen it and that they will change their minds once it is finished. He remains adamant and plans to push through with the building of the canal. This is why many are concerned that democracy, nurtured through a difficult historical process after 1987, is in danger of moving backward under this government.
President Lee Myung-bak owes a lot to the people of this country. They have selected him as their president despite a past of numerous counts of collusion and wrongdoing, on the hopes that he would bring economic democracy. The people, in terms of their livelihood, are that desperate. That is why if the Lee Myung-bak government fails to deliver on resolving economic polarization and further improving democracy, he will face the backlash from the public, as well as from history. ¡á
Denouncing Human rights violations during the construction of a POSCO still mill in India
Joint Statement of Korean Social and Civic organizations and KCTU (Feb. 19th, 2008)
"POSCO must state its position regarding the human rights violations that are occurring in the state of Orissa"
We, the social and civic organizations of Korea, express our serious concern at the violence that is being perpetrated in the Jagatsingpur region of the state of Orissa, where a steel mill is scheduled to be built by POSCO. We have come together to demand that POSCO, as a relevant party, take responsibility and respond accordingly to the incidents.
The site of the violence is the region where POSCO is planning to build the largest steel plant in Asia. On the 22nd of June, 2005, the state government of Orissa and POSCO signed a MoU regarding mining, the building of a steel mill that can produce 12 million tons annually, and the construction of ports and other relevant facilities needed for the operation of the steel mill. POSCO's investment is the largest ever single case of foreign direct investment in India's history, as well as one without precedent in Korea. However, international environmental and human rights groups, as well as NGOs in India, have voiced concern that if the still plant were to be built, the livelihood of the more than 20,000 residents in the region, mostly still living according to traditional methods of life, would be threatened. The destruction of the environment is also a major issue.
The concerns have become reality with the serious violation of human rights in the region. According to Indian organization and Amnesty International, the violence started when the state government tried to forcefully relocate the residents in the site designated for construction and the residents resisted. In February, April, September, and November of 2007, there were repeated clashes between the state government and the residents. On the 29th of November, residents that had been on guard at the main roads and bridges into the region were attacked by 100 armed personnel. They threw home-made bombs at the tents of the demonstrators and went on to beat and sexually harass the mostly-female demonstrators. They also destroyed the residents' property and in the process left 50 injured, 15 of them in serious condition. What has shocked international human rights organizations, however, is the fact that the police, stationed just 5 kilometers from the site of the attacks, stood by without doing anything while the attacks were perpetrated. Moreover, the police took over the barricades that the demonstrators had erected as soon as they dispersed. The Orissa state police not only blocked off the village and stopped food from being supplied, but they also in effect allowed the armed men to violate the human right of the villagers and demonstrators. The village, with the police in control and the possibilities of another attack, have led to a state of de facto martial law, and the villagers are afraid that the situation may become worse.
With construction to start on the 1st of April, full-scale repression of the villages that are still resisting is expected. The appalling human rights that we have witnessed in Korea on the part of police and hired thugs during forced evacuation of shacks is being repeated in India.
We are seriously concerned that the Orissa state government and the federal government of India have not engaged in sufficient dialogue with the residents while they have endured human rights violations while demanding measures for their livelihood. Sacrifices have mounted across the country as Indians have taken a stand for their livelihood against the special economic zones that the government has vigorously pursued. We believe that ignoring the plight of the residents in favor of the needs of corporations, especially foreign ones, is a position that needs to be fundamentally reconsidered.
There is no way evade raising the responsibility that POSCO, as a concerned party to the project, has regarding the human rights violations. As a company that has stressed corporate social responsibility, it needs to accept its responsibility for the human rights violations and environmental damage that this large-scale investment has resulted in. POSCO has objected that it has no direct responsibility for the violence, but pressuring the Indian government for a rapid implementation of the project is translating into the violence against the villagers. The social and civic organizations of Korea remember the violence perpetrated by POSCO against construction workers union a few years ago in Pohang, and therefore are worried that we might see a similar ending in India. A truly respected corporation is not one that succeeds on the base of the tears of villagers and destroyed environment. It is still not too late for POSCO to come forth with its position to the relevant parties on the violence and environmental destruction, and to present a viable solution.
We urge POSCO to recognize the seriousness of the issue and initiate a dialogue with the residents before the situation deteriorates further.
< Our Demands >
- POSCO, as a concerned party, should take measures to stop further violence from occurring.
- POSCO needs to present a concrete resolution to the incidents occurring in India.
- POSCO needs to initiate a transparent and democratic process to take into account the demands of the villagers and residents.
Lee Changgeun
International Executive Director
Korean Confederation of Trade Unions
Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU)
Monthly Newsletter - The First Edition, 2008 (Feb 25th, 2008)
For the Lee Myung-bak government: the realization of democratic values is the key, not a "global Korea" of savage market competition
Lee Myung-bak will take office today as president. The key themes of his government have already been outlined: advancement, practicalism, a global Korea, revitalizing the economy, change/autonomy/creativity, etc. This simply means that he will closely adhere to the logic of neo-liberalism as the principle for managing the country. He has already stated that standard for enacting all policies would be how 'business friendly' they were, and in reorganizing the government structure has made clear that he wants a 'corporate-style' government. Regarding public enterprises and the public sector in general, his plan is not to raise the quality of services for the people of the country, but to restructure them through marketization. Comments have been made regarding introducing market logic into the social welfare system as well. The Lee Myung-bak government is thus fully prepared to implement and systemize a winner-take-all neo-liberal competition regime. We are deeply concerned that a new age of authoritarianism, based on the sacrifice of the workers, peasants, and the socially dispossessed, may be approaching.
Our society has experienced a rapid polarization of the economy from the neo-liberal policies instituted after the financial crisis of 1997. The reason that the previous Roh government was defeated by such a large margin in the last presidential elections was due in large part to the fact that he wasn't able to alleviate the polarization that had excluded the socially weak. Therefore, if Lee Myung-bak, voted in by a large margin, wishes to serve the people and revitalize the economy as he has promised, then he must urgently resolve the structural problem that is economic polarization. The task that Lee has been bestowed with by the people and history, is to redistribute in a balanced way the wealth that is concentrated in a small group and to realize economic democracy in order to protect the socially dispossessed.
However, the Lee government has pushed forward with policies that have disappointed the public, such as deregulation regarding corporate activities, relaxing the restrictions on the finance industry, and unprepared proposals regarding english education. The view of the new government regarding industrial relations has also stressed the law and principle over dialogue and compromise, while pursuing the flexibilization of the labor market, privatization of the public sector, and 'advancement' of industrial relations law and institutions. In a nutshell, this means that the new government will continue to increase the number of irregular workers in order to further flexibilize the labor market, and will oppress the workers that resist in the name of the law and principle. The Lee government's labor policy is equal to sacrificing the workers in order to create a 'business friendly' environment. Furthermore, Lee has already made clear his anti-worker stance through various disparaging and distorting comments aimed at unions and workers. This renders questionable his competence as the leader of the country, and his view on labor needs to undergo a fundamental change.
A core task that our society faces in its battle to overcome polarization is reducing the number of, and guaranteeing basic labor rights to, the irregular workers that face constant employment instability, exclusion from basic rights, and low wages. However, the Lee government has not only promised to ratify the Korea-US Free Trade Agreement, but has also declared that it will seek the conclusion of multiple FTAs, exposing the Korean economy to indiscriminate competition and the public sector to private capital, thereby exacerbating polarization.
Furthermore, regarding the formulation and implementation of policies, the Lee government has tended to bulldoze them through rather than subject them to democratic processes and social debates. This leads us to the concern that his time in office could be detrimental to democracy. President Lee has repeatedly spoken about running his political party and the government as a CEO, and about the need to resort to authoritarian means to control demonstrations. Nowhere is this more clear than in his view regarding the construction of a canal that runs across the country: he has said that the majority of the public is opposed to it because they haven't seen it and that they will change their minds once it is finished. He remains adamant and plans to push through with the building of the canal. This is why many are concerned that democracy, nurtured through a difficult historical process after 1987, is in danger of moving backward under this government.
President Lee Myung-bak owes a lot to the people of this country. They have selected him as their president despite a past of numerous counts of collusion and wrongdoing, on the hopes that he would bring economic democracy. The people, in terms of their livelihood, are that desperate. That is why if the Lee Myung-bak government fails to deliver on resolving economic polarization and further improving democracy, he will face the backlash from the public, as well as from history. ¡á
Denouncing Human rights violations during the construction of a POSCO still mill in India
Joint Statement of Korean Social and Civic organizations and KCTU (Feb. 19th, 2008)
"POSCO must state its position regarding the human rights violations that are occurring in the state of Orissa"
We, the social and civic organizations of Korea, express our serious concern at the violence that is being perpetrated in the Jagatsingpur region of the state of Orissa, where a steel mill is scheduled to be built by POSCO. We have come together to demand that POSCO, as a relevant party, take responsibility and respond accordingly to the incidents.
The site of the violence is the region where POSCO is planning to build the largest steel plant in Asia. On the 22nd of June, 2005, the state government of Orissa and POSCO signed a MoU regarding mining, the building of a steel mill that can produce 12 million tons annually, and the construction of ports and other relevant facilities needed for the operation of the steel mill. POSCO's investment is the largest ever single case of foreign direct investment in India's history, as well as one without precedent in Korea. However, international environmental and human rights groups, as well as NGOs in India, have voiced concern that if the still plant were to be built, the livelihood of the more than 20,000 residents in the region, mostly still living according to traditional methods of life, would be threatened. The destruction of the environment is also a major issue.
The concerns have become reality with the serious violation of human rights in the region. According to Indian organization and Amnesty International, the violence started when the state government tried to forcefully relocate the residents in the site designated for construction and the residents resisted. In February, April, September, and November of 2007, there were repeated clashes between the state government and the residents. On the 29th of November, residents that had been on guard at the main roads and bridges into the region were attacked by 100 armed personnel. They threw home-made bombs at the tents of the demonstrators and went on to beat and sexually harass the mostly-female demonstrators. They also destroyed the residents' property and in the process left 50 injured, 15 of them in serious condition. What has shocked international human rights organizations, however, is the fact that the police, stationed just 5 kilometers from the site of the attacks, stood by without doing anything while the attacks were perpetrated. Moreover, the police took over the barricades that the demonstrators had erected as soon as they dispersed. The Orissa state police not only blocked off the village and stopped food from being supplied, but they also in effect allowed the armed men to violate the human right of the villagers and demonstrators. The village, with the police in control and the possibilities of another attack, have led to a state of de facto martial law, and the villagers are afraid that the situation may become worse.
With construction to start on the 1st of April, full-scale repression of the villages that are still resisting is expected. The appalling human rights that we have witnessed in Korea on the part of police and hired thugs during forced evacuation of shacks is being repeated in India.
We are seriously concerned that the Orissa state government and the federal government of India have not engaged in sufficient dialogue with the residents while they have endured human rights violations while demanding measures for their livelihood. Sacrifices have mounted across the country as Indians have taken a stand for their livelihood against the special economic zones that the government has vigorously pursued. We believe that ignoring the plight of the residents in favor of the needs of corporations, especially foreign ones, is a position that needs to be fundamentally reconsidered.
There is no way evade raising the responsibility that POSCO, as a concerned party to the project, has regarding the human rights violations. As a company that has stressed corporate social responsibility, it needs to accept its responsibility for the human rights violations and environmental damage that this large-scale investment has resulted in. POSCO has objected that it has no direct responsibility for the violence, but pressuring the Indian government for a rapid implementation of the project is translating into the violence against the villagers. The social and civic organizations of Korea remember the violence perpetrated by POSCO against construction workers union a few years ago in Pohang, and therefore are worried that we might see a similar ending in India. A truly respected corporation is not one that succeeds on the base of the tears of villagers and destroyed environment. It is still not too late for POSCO to come forth with its position to the relevant parties on the violence and environmental destruction, and to present a viable solution.
We urge POSCO to recognize the seriousness of the issue and initiate a dialogue with the residents before the situation deteriorates further.
< Our Demands >
- POSCO, as a concerned party, should take measures to stop further violence from occurring.
- POSCO needs to present a concrete resolution to the incidents occurring in India.
- POSCO needs to initiate a transparent and democratic process to take into account the demands of the villagers and residents.
Lee Changgeun
International Executive Director
Korean Confederation of Trade Unions
Friday, February 22, 2008
Upon participating in a language teachers association symposium
I suppose I was more than a little out of place. Most of the educators in attendance were promoting and developing arguments against English language education. Less being better, none being best.
Someone asked my opinion of Lee's approach. I said it made little sense for the entire population to become fluent in the same two languages. Silence. For this audience, it made little sense to become fluent in any additional language, if this meant that the first language would receive less attention. I was immersed in monolingual pride.
But there was also anger in the room. People are angry that skill with a foreign language is virtually a passport to yangban status, for example. And maybe some of the anger is fueled by anxiety over loss of culture. Perhaps above all, English is simply equated with greater integration into a vicious empire-network that these people want no part of.
We all know that there are people in Washington and London who are quite pleased that East Asians are learning so much English. These people know whose voices dominate international flows of information. So, no English, and those voices are more easily ignored. I think I get it.
Mais ce n'est pas la guerre.
Someone asked my opinion of Lee's approach. I said it made little sense for the entire population to become fluent in the same two languages. Silence. For this audience, it made little sense to become fluent in any additional language, if this meant that the first language would receive less attention. I was immersed in monolingual pride.
But there was also anger in the room. People are angry that skill with a foreign language is virtually a passport to yangban status, for example. And maybe some of the anger is fueled by anxiety over loss of culture. Perhaps above all, English is simply equated with greater integration into a vicious empire-network that these people want no part of.
We all know that there are people in Washington and London who are quite pleased that East Asians are learning so much English. These people know whose voices dominate international flows of information. So, no English, and those voices are more easily ignored. I think I get it.
Mais ce n'est pas la guerre.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Another peace education activist behind bars
Sorry I didn't catch this sooner. Teacher Kim Hyung-geun was arrested January 29 and charged with violating the National Security Law. He remains in Seoul Prison. Police had raided his home in April 2007, but hadn't charged him with anything.
Why the delay? Some things change, some things get worse.
Two other teachers charged a year ago are awaiting trial. See here and here for background.
Why the delay? Some things change, some things get worse.
Two other teachers charged a year ago are awaiting trial. See here and here for background.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Konglish is the future of Korea
TEE and the classroom
I want to talk (more) about the curriculum policy formerly known as English Only, and which is now trumpeted and tromboned as Teaching English in English (TEE).
I want to begin with an anecdote. In 2004 I taught at a middle school in Incheon. One fine day, there happened a demonstration lesson, conducted by an ambitious and competent English teacher. Parents, teachers and officials from the Incheon Office of Education observed the lesson. It was English Only and was by all accounts a resounding success - the accounts of its refugees excepted, of course. Two learners spent the entire lesson hiding out in my office. They had been excluded from the Big Event because they did not possess the language required to participate in the demonstration learning activities.
They had the skills necessary to describe the situation to me, however. They used the dictionary at naver.com and found the word they wanted: 재해: "disaster." Very apt: a teaching approach that deliberately excludes the learners who most need it is disastrous.
This, I want to suggest, is TEE.
Lee Kyung-sook is fond of saying that TEE and "English immersion" (by which she means, I think, content-based language teaching) are based on "decades of research." And she's right. Unfortunately, that research was done decades ago. Most SLA theorists and researchers have long since moved on, and those who care about what actually happens in classrooms now stress the importance of social interaction, the negotiation of meaning, and attention to language form in addition to content. And if a first or shared language, i.e. Korean, can help learners discover features of language form, then it should be used.
There is very exciting work being done with bilingual education in the U.S. I would suggest that Ms Lee explore it, if bilingualism is what the government wants to achieve.
The thing is, I am not aware of a single language learning expert who believes that L1 should be excluded from lessons. The government has adopted a position that is far more extreme than that of the most ardent supporters of content-based language instruction elsewhere. The government’s proposed policy is bad pedagogy. But it is not only bad pedagogy; I think that it is bad for Korea.
I summarized Canagarajah's critique of English Only earlier. "Linguistic genocide" was mentioned: English Only "challenges the validity" of newer varieties of English. I want to talk about what this might mean.
Konglish is the future of Korea
I do not mean to suggest that Konglish is the future of 대한민국, Daehan Minguk. But I believe that it is the future of Korea. "Korea" is itself a Konglish word, likely derived from 고려, Goryeo.
I'm using Konglish to refer to Korean English. Some folks like to say that Konglish is just "bad" or "broken" English. While I'm not sure, I assume that folks used to say the same about Singlish or Singapore English. Indeed, the government of Singapore still says this — I guess that they don't care that Oxford puts Singlish words in its dictionaries.
What is language for? Many things of course, but I would suggest that a very important function of language is its use as a vehicle for culture. Knowledges, experiences, histories, worldviews, rituals, songs, foods, philosophies, all are constantly (re)created with and through language.
So then what is an international language for? It is used as a vehicle for cultures. It carries the knowledges, experiences, histories, worldviews, rituals, songs, foods, philosophies of nations.
Anime, sushi, karaoke are English words, used throughout the world, and these words carry Japanese culture with them. How did this happen? Yes, the Japanese economy is powerful. But simply, concretely: people, real people at real times and in real places, mixed languages. One can imagine an American diplomat in a restaurant in Osaka, asking "What is this?" His fellow diners could have answered "It's just what it looks like, slices of uncooked fish served on fingers of boiled rice." Or they might have done something more daring. They might have said "This is sushi." This would have been a challenge, a dare: recognize this as an addition to your language, your knowledge, your worldview.
Everyone in Korea could one day be fluent in English - but whose English? Or rather, which Englishes? Will they all be "borrowed?" If so, great opportunities will be missed. The vehicles will belong to others - there will be no Korean-made vehicles. Other nations will lose the contributions and challenges of Koreans, and "Korea" will stay in 대한민국, unknown.
I can think of a number of words that would make excellent additions to English. Han (恨), cham, jeong. Maybe minjok, since "folk" was abused by Nazi propagandists.
"Glocal" is a very clever portmanteau. The expression "I'm so poor at x" is interesting, the way it ties poverty to a perceived lack of ability. I don't say "It's nice to meet you" if I have already met someone, but I appreciate how the expression recognizes that you never meet the same person twice (as you cannot throw a rock into the same river twice).
But if TEE is enforced, these can never be English words or expressions. Neither can these: pansori, chaebol, ondol, kimchi, hanbok
Because if Korean words are excluded from classrooms, there can be no mixing of languages. When I delivered that quiz, about 40% of students said that "handphone" didn't belong, though they all knew what a cordless phone was. They said it was Konglish and as such didn't belong with the "English" words. This is TEE: there can be no mixing. TEE means that Korean culture will not be represented in the world of Englishes. Korean English will never join Cameroon English, India English, Fiji English, or any of the many Englishes used by millions of people but ignored by the current national curriculum.
I can think of a few ideological supports for TEE. A more obvious one is simply that the elite study in the U.S., and usually come to believe that (Standard) U.S. English is "superior" to the English that is developing in Korea. Others simply associate English with CNN, Hollywood, and the New York Times, so ignore the contributions of other English users.
But there may be something else at work as well. Many people believe that Koreans are one homogeneous - think "pure" - ethnic group, one "race." For these people, mixing means dilution. A subtraction, not an addition. Perhaps, to some, Konglish is not a vehicle for culture but rather a "mongrel" that must be put in a sack and drowned while it is still young.
If this happens, if TEE is enforced, countless students will be excluded from their classrooms, and the world will be poorer for it.
I want to talk (more) about the curriculum policy formerly known as English Only, and which is now trumpeted and tromboned as Teaching English in English (TEE).
I want to begin with an anecdote. In 2004 I taught at a middle school in Incheon. One fine day, there happened a demonstration lesson, conducted by an ambitious and competent English teacher. Parents, teachers and officials from the Incheon Office of Education observed the lesson. It was English Only and was by all accounts a resounding success - the accounts of its refugees excepted, of course. Two learners spent the entire lesson hiding out in my office. They had been excluded from the Big Event because they did not possess the language required to participate in the demonstration learning activities.
They had the skills necessary to describe the situation to me, however. They used the dictionary at naver.com and found the word they wanted: 재해: "disaster." Very apt: a teaching approach that deliberately excludes the learners who most need it is disastrous.
This, I want to suggest, is TEE.
Lee Kyung-sook is fond of saying that TEE and "English immersion" (by which she means, I think, content-based language teaching) are based on "decades of research." And she's right. Unfortunately, that research was done decades ago. Most SLA theorists and researchers have long since moved on, and those who care about what actually happens in classrooms now stress the importance of social interaction, the negotiation of meaning, and attention to language form in addition to content. And if a first or shared language, i.e. Korean, can help learners discover features of language form, then it should be used.
There is very exciting work being done with bilingual education in the U.S. I would suggest that Ms Lee explore it, if bilingualism is what the government wants to achieve.
The thing is, I am not aware of a single language learning expert who believes that L1 should be excluded from lessons. The government has adopted a position that is far more extreme than that of the most ardent supporters of content-based language instruction elsewhere. The government’s proposed policy is bad pedagogy. But it is not only bad pedagogy; I think that it is bad for Korea.
I summarized Canagarajah's critique of English Only earlier. "Linguistic genocide" was mentioned: English Only "challenges the validity" of newer varieties of English. I want to talk about what this might mean.
Konglish is the future of Korea
I do not mean to suggest that Konglish is the future of 대한민국, Daehan Minguk. But I believe that it is the future of Korea. "Korea" is itself a Konglish word, likely derived from 고려, Goryeo.
I'm using Konglish to refer to Korean English. Some folks like to say that Konglish is just "bad" or "broken" English. While I'm not sure, I assume that folks used to say the same about Singlish or Singapore English. Indeed, the government of Singapore still says this — I guess that they don't care that Oxford puts Singlish words in its dictionaries.
What is language for? Many things of course, but I would suggest that a very important function of language is its use as a vehicle for culture. Knowledges, experiences, histories, worldviews, rituals, songs, foods, philosophies, all are constantly (re)created with and through language.
So then what is an international language for? It is used as a vehicle for cultures. It carries the knowledges, experiences, histories, worldviews, rituals, songs, foods, philosophies of nations.
Anime, sushi, karaoke are English words, used throughout the world, and these words carry Japanese culture with them. How did this happen? Yes, the Japanese economy is powerful. But simply, concretely: people, real people at real times and in real places, mixed languages. One can imagine an American diplomat in a restaurant in Osaka, asking "What is this?" His fellow diners could have answered "It's just what it looks like, slices of uncooked fish served on fingers of boiled rice." Or they might have done something more daring. They might have said "This is sushi." This would have been a challenge, a dare: recognize this as an addition to your language, your knowledge, your worldview.
Everyone in Korea could one day be fluent in English - but whose English? Or rather, which Englishes? Will they all be "borrowed?" If so, great opportunities will be missed. The vehicles will belong to others - there will be no Korean-made vehicles. Other nations will lose the contributions and challenges of Koreans, and "Korea" will stay in 대한민국, unknown.
I can think of a number of words that would make excellent additions to English. Han (恨), cham, jeong. Maybe minjok, since "folk" was abused by Nazi propagandists.
"Glocal" is a very clever portmanteau. The expression "I'm so poor at x" is interesting, the way it ties poverty to a perceived lack of ability. I don't say "It's nice to meet you" if I have already met someone, but I appreciate how the expression recognizes that you never meet the same person twice (as you cannot throw a rock into the same river twice).
But if TEE is enforced, these can never be English words or expressions. Neither can these: pansori, chaebol, ondol, kimchi, hanbok
Because if Korean words are excluded from classrooms, there can be no mixing of languages. When I delivered that quiz, about 40% of students said that "handphone" didn't belong, though they all knew what a cordless phone was. They said it was Konglish and as such didn't belong with the "English" words. This is TEE: there can be no mixing. TEE means that Korean culture will not be represented in the world of Englishes. Korean English will never join Cameroon English, India English, Fiji English, or any of the many Englishes used by millions of people but ignored by the current national curriculum.
I can think of a few ideological supports for TEE. A more obvious one is simply that the elite study in the U.S., and usually come to believe that (Standard) U.S. English is "superior" to the English that is developing in Korea. Others simply associate English with CNN, Hollywood, and the New York Times, so ignore the contributions of other English users.
But there may be something else at work as well. Many people believe that Koreans are one homogeneous - think "pure" - ethnic group, one "race." For these people, mixing means dilution. A subtraction, not an addition. Perhaps, to some, Konglish is not a vehicle for culture but rather a "mongrel" that must be put in a sack and drowned while it is still young.
If this happens, if TEE is enforced, countless students will be excluded from their classrooms, and the world will be poorer for it.
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Education Reform, brought to you by YBM
Best read as a Bill Hicks monologue, but you'll need to include a generous audience, because this shit isn't very funny.
.. So apparently president-elect Lee Myung-bak, otherwise known as the Second Coming (was Roh similarly obsessed over in the weeks following his election??), has a rehab plan for the country's hagwon and overseas schooling dependence. Anyone hear about this? Have you read about this? Well he's going to take action, yes he's a Man Of Action, our LMB.
The key elements of his Action Plan: he's going to 1) see that the the English-Only Policy is enforced; 2) encourage competition among high schools by dropping university admissions regulations; and 3) have "easy" high school subjects, like sciences and maths, delivered in English.
Call me a conspiracist if you like, but hagwon directors themselves might have designed this Plan.
First, "English through English." Half the country's English teachers report that they could deliver lessons wherein the first language of everyone in the room is conspicuously absent. But forget for a moment that this bad pedagogy, that most English teachers KNOW that this is bad pedagogy, and that this is the reason most teachers are resisting the policy (for a superb example of L1 use in an English lesson see this article (subscription).) And forget what will become of teachers unable or unwilling to teach "English through English."
No tarot deck is needed here. The enforcement of this policy will force many families into debt in pursuit of private English-intensive preschooling, and exclude entirely those children whose families cannot afford it. English will soon be taught from first year elementary, and if Korean is not used, children who are not already familiar with English will be so lost that they won't even find the starting line.
Already there are middle school students who do not know even the (latin) alphabet. In 2006, two such students spent a class hiding out in my office - they had been excluded from the teacher's English-Only "demo lesson," because they could not participate in the innovative activities that parents, teachers and ministry officials had come to admire.
Second, high schools and university admissions. Most high schools in the country are privately owned and administered, even if they're heavily funded by provinces. And every city or gu has its elite high schools. The kids who attend these schools expect to get into a good university. As for the kids in other schools .. let's say that the curriculum at these schools is less challenging, and expectations rather lower. President Roh attempted to change this by forcing universities to base admissions partly on students' performance at their particular school. This was to encourage bright students to attend lower-perfoming high schools and thus help raise their school's academic profile.
Allowing universities complete freedom in admissions will allow them to select from high schools of their choosing. Which will in turn force middle school students into hagwons, and parents further into debt, to better kids' chances of getting into choice high schools. Indeed, the KTU warns that universities may soon be looking at students' middle school records as well, which will force more elementary students into hagwons, etc.
Third, English-medium instruction in high schools. LMB wants high schools delivering "easy" subjects like maths and sciences in English by 2010. These are the easy subjects?! Who the fuck does the transition team pretend to be kidding? "Easy" subjects, for second language use, are art, physical education, and later, geography (see this research article, sub required). No doubt hagwons are already hanging "Learn Science English Here!!!" banners.
Now if our messiah were actually serious about education reform, he'd set up a nation-wide fully-subsidized preschool system, start funding universities so that exlusion from the elite schools does not doom young people to drudgery, address regional imbalances in education funding, wrest control of secondary schools from petty oligarchs, and help create learning communities that foster social, moral, and intellectual development rather than enforce regimens of testing, ranking and standardization.
.. And since teachers are abandoning the KTU, the organization that is best placed to challenge Lee and his education-as-business model, soon we'll all be "service providers," encouraging failing kids to absent themselves from standardized tests so that we can receive our pay incentives, and our schools their funding.
I hope our uniforms are tasteful.
.. So apparently president-elect Lee Myung-bak, otherwise known as the Second Coming (was Roh similarly obsessed over in the weeks following his election??), has a rehab plan for the country's hagwon and overseas schooling dependence. Anyone hear about this? Have you read about this? Well he's going to take action, yes he's a Man Of Action, our LMB.
The key elements of his Action Plan: he's going to 1) see that the the English-Only Policy is enforced; 2) encourage competition among high schools by dropping university admissions regulations; and 3) have "easy" high school subjects, like sciences and maths, delivered in English.
Call me a conspiracist if you like, but hagwon directors themselves might have designed this Plan.
First, "English through English." Half the country's English teachers report that they could deliver lessons wherein the first language of everyone in the room is conspicuously absent. But forget for a moment that this bad pedagogy, that most English teachers KNOW that this is bad pedagogy, and that this is the reason most teachers are resisting the policy (for a superb example of L1 use in an English lesson see this article (subscription).) And forget what will become of teachers unable or unwilling to teach "English through English."
No tarot deck is needed here. The enforcement of this policy will force many families into debt in pursuit of private English-intensive preschooling, and exclude entirely those children whose families cannot afford it. English will soon be taught from first year elementary, and if Korean is not used, children who are not already familiar with English will be so lost that they won't even find the starting line.
Already there are middle school students who do not know even the (latin) alphabet. In 2006, two such students spent a class hiding out in my office - they had been excluded from the teacher's English-Only "demo lesson," because they could not participate in the innovative activities that parents, teachers and ministry officials had come to admire.
Second, high schools and university admissions. Most high schools in the country are privately owned and administered, even if they're heavily funded by provinces. And every city or gu has its elite high schools. The kids who attend these schools expect to get into a good university. As for the kids in other schools .. let's say that the curriculum at these schools is less challenging, and expectations rather lower. President Roh attempted to change this by forcing universities to base admissions partly on students' performance at their particular school. This was to encourage bright students to attend lower-perfoming high schools and thus help raise their school's academic profile.
Allowing universities complete freedom in admissions will allow them to select from high schools of their choosing. Which will in turn force middle school students into hagwons, and parents further into debt, to better kids' chances of getting into choice high schools. Indeed, the KTU warns that universities may soon be looking at students' middle school records as well, which will force more elementary students into hagwons, etc.
Third, English-medium instruction in high schools. LMB wants high schools delivering "easy" subjects like maths and sciences in English by 2010. These are the easy subjects?! Who the fuck does the transition team pretend to be kidding? "Easy" subjects, for second language use, are art, physical education, and later, geography (see this research article, sub required). No doubt hagwons are already hanging "Learn Science English Here!!!" banners.
Now if our messiah were actually serious about education reform, he'd set up a nation-wide fully-subsidized preschool system, start funding universities so that exlusion from the elite schools does not doom young people to drudgery, address regional imbalances in education funding, wrest control of secondary schools from petty oligarchs, and help create learning communities that foster social, moral, and intellectual development rather than enforce regimens of testing, ranking and standardization.
.. And since teachers are abandoning the KTU, the organization that is best placed to challenge Lee and his education-as-business model, soon we'll all be "service providers," encouraging failing kids to absent themselves from standardized tests so that we can receive our pay incentives, and our schools their funding.
I hope our uniforms are tasteful.
Tuesday, January 01, 2008
So THAT's how the Chosun Ilbo comes up with editorials!
with http://www.pakin.org/complaint ...
The Korean Teachers Union's paroxysms have been getting a lot of undeserved attention recently. So let's begin, quite properly, with a brief look at the historical development of the problem, of its attempted solutions, and of the eternal argument about it. Having endured countless hours of listening to the Korean Teachers Union's paltry, odious gibber, I can say with confidence that after hearing about its politically incorrect attempts to divert our attention from serious issues, I was saddened. I was saddened that it has lowered itself to this level.
In the past, it was perfectly clear to everyone with insight and without malice that the Korean Teachers Union's snow jobs are tinctured with imperialism. Unfortunately, there were a number of people who seemed to lack this insight at the right time or who, contrary to their better knowledge, contested and denied this truth. The objection may still be raised that animalism is a viable and vital objective for our nation's educational institutions. At first glance this sounds almost believable yet the following must be borne in mind: I want to make this clear so that those who do not understand deeper messages embedded within sarcastic irony -- and you know who I'm referring to -- can process my point. The Korean Teachers Union says that it's perfectly safe to drink and drive. That is the most despicable lie I have ever heard in my entire life. You may be wondering why putrid tricksters latch onto the Korean Teachers Union's politics. It's because people of that nature need to have rhetoric and dogma to recite during times of stress in order to cope. That's also why a colleague recently informed me that a bunch of intellectually challenged fault-finders and others in the Korean Teachers Union's amen corner are about to pooh-pooh the concerns of others. I have no reason to doubt that story because were he alive today, Hideki Tojo would be the Korean Teachers Union's most trustworthy ally. I can see Tojo joining forces with the Korean Teachers Union to help it do everything possible to keep abominable busybodies lewd and violent.
Every time the Korean Teachers Union tells its habitués that superstition is no less credible than proven scientific principles, their eyes roll into the backs of their heads as they become mindless receptacles of unsubstantiated information, which they accept without question. Speaking of cuckoo bloodsuckers, I have a plan to make an impartial and well-informed evaluation of the advantages and disadvantages of the Korean Teachers Union's convictions. I call this plan "Operation help young people develop the ability to make informed and reasoned decisions for the public good as citizens of a culturally diverse, democratic society in an interdependent world". (Granted, I need a shorter, catchier name but that one will do for now.) My plan's underlying motif is that if we are to redefine in practical terms the immutable ideals that have guided us from the beginning, then we must be guided by a healthy and progressive ideology, not by the benighted and intransigent ideologies that the Korean Teachers Union promotes. For those of us who make our living trying to speak up and speak out against the Korean Teachers Union, it is important to consider that when it says that two wrongs make a right, that's just a load of spucatum tauri. The Korean Teachers Union's companions get a thrill out of protesting. They have no idea what causes they're fighting for or against. For them, going down to the local protest, carrying a sign, hanging out with the Korean Teachers Union, and meeting some other grotty barrators is merely a social event. They're not even aware that the Korean Teachers Union's rejoinders are like a Hydra. They continually acquire new heads and new strength. The only way to stunt their growth is to launch an all-out ideological attack against the forces of materialism. The only way to destroy its Hydra entirely is to provide more people with the knowledge that the impact of the Korean Teachers Union's choleric fairy tales is exactly that predicted by the Book of Revelation. Evil will preside over the land. Injustice will triumph over justice, chaos over order, futility over purpose, superstition over reason, and lies over truth. Only when humanity experiences this Hell on Earth will it fully appreciate that if we look beyond the Korean Teachers Union's delusions of grandeur, we see that I recently heard it tell a bunch of people that newspapers should report only on items it agrees with. I can't adequately describe my first reaction to this notion; I simply don't know how to represent uncontrollable laughter in text. Finally, any mistakes in this letter are strictly my fault. But if you find any factual error or have more updated information on the subject of the Korean Teachers Union, the Korean Teachers Union-inspired versions of mysticism, etc., please tell me so I can write an even stronger letter next time.
The Korean Teachers Union's paroxysms have been getting a lot of undeserved attention recently. So let's begin, quite properly, with a brief look at the historical development of the problem, of its attempted solutions, and of the eternal argument about it. Having endured countless hours of listening to the Korean Teachers Union's paltry, odious gibber, I can say with confidence that after hearing about its politically incorrect attempts to divert our attention from serious issues, I was saddened. I was saddened that it has lowered itself to this level.
In the past, it was perfectly clear to everyone with insight and without malice that the Korean Teachers Union's snow jobs are tinctured with imperialism. Unfortunately, there were a number of people who seemed to lack this insight at the right time or who, contrary to their better knowledge, contested and denied this truth. The objection may still be raised that animalism is a viable and vital objective for our nation's educational institutions. At first glance this sounds almost believable yet the following must be borne in mind: I want to make this clear so that those who do not understand deeper messages embedded within sarcastic irony -- and you know who I'm referring to -- can process my point. The Korean Teachers Union says that it's perfectly safe to drink and drive. That is the most despicable lie I have ever heard in my entire life. You may be wondering why putrid tricksters latch onto the Korean Teachers Union's politics. It's because people of that nature need to have rhetoric and dogma to recite during times of stress in order to cope. That's also why a colleague recently informed me that a bunch of intellectually challenged fault-finders and others in the Korean Teachers Union's amen corner are about to pooh-pooh the concerns of others. I have no reason to doubt that story because were he alive today, Hideki Tojo would be the Korean Teachers Union's most trustworthy ally. I can see Tojo joining forces with the Korean Teachers Union to help it do everything possible to keep abominable busybodies lewd and violent.
Every time the Korean Teachers Union tells its habitués that superstition is no less credible than proven scientific principles, their eyes roll into the backs of their heads as they become mindless receptacles of unsubstantiated information, which they accept without question. Speaking of cuckoo bloodsuckers, I have a plan to make an impartial and well-informed evaluation of the advantages and disadvantages of the Korean Teachers Union's convictions. I call this plan "Operation help young people develop the ability to make informed and reasoned decisions for the public good as citizens of a culturally diverse, democratic society in an interdependent world". (Granted, I need a shorter, catchier name but that one will do for now.) My plan's underlying motif is that if we are to redefine in practical terms the immutable ideals that have guided us from the beginning, then we must be guided by a healthy and progressive ideology, not by the benighted and intransigent ideologies that the Korean Teachers Union promotes. For those of us who make our living trying to speak up and speak out against the Korean Teachers Union, it is important to consider that when it says that two wrongs make a right, that's just a load of spucatum tauri. The Korean Teachers Union's companions get a thrill out of protesting. They have no idea what causes they're fighting for or against. For them, going down to the local protest, carrying a sign, hanging out with the Korean Teachers Union, and meeting some other grotty barrators is merely a social event. They're not even aware that the Korean Teachers Union's rejoinders are like a Hydra. They continually acquire new heads and new strength. The only way to stunt their growth is to launch an all-out ideological attack against the forces of materialism. The only way to destroy its Hydra entirely is to provide more people with the knowledge that the impact of the Korean Teachers Union's choleric fairy tales is exactly that predicted by the Book of Revelation. Evil will preside over the land. Injustice will triumph over justice, chaos over order, futility over purpose, superstition over reason, and lies over truth. Only when humanity experiences this Hell on Earth will it fully appreciate that if we look beyond the Korean Teachers Union's delusions of grandeur, we see that I recently heard it tell a bunch of people that newspapers should report only on items it agrees with. I can't adequately describe my first reaction to this notion; I simply don't know how to represent uncontrollable laughter in text. Finally, any mistakes in this letter are strictly my fault. But if you find any factual error or have more updated information on the subject of the Korean Teachers Union, the Korean Teachers Union-inspired versions of mysticism, etc., please tell me so I can write an even stronger letter next time.
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Poor investors, they can't open a school fast enough in Songdo
Tuesday, December 04, 2007
OECD ranks South Korea ahead of Japan in scientific literacy
The latest OECD International Student Assessment report is out. The report is published every three years, and this one focuses on "scientific literacy." Korean teachers may be relieved to find that their students rank ahead of Japan's, though Finland continues to dominate.
For those who like to give learners the equivalent of sports scores, the report can be found here (volume one is 390 pages).
For those who like to give learners the equivalent of sports scores, the report can be found here (volume one is 390 pages).
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