KCTU Wagging Its Slanderous Tongue at President Roh

Controversy is rising in Korea as the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) denounced openly President Roh Moo-hyun, who is proud of and respected for his knowledge and expertise on labor issues, as a “green shaman” (meaning a rookie).

The KCTU yesterday issued a statement entitled “President Roh, the green shaman, is killing laborers”, in which the President became the subject of severe criticism.

Quoting an old Korean saying, “A green shaman wreaks havoc on people”, which can be interpreted as “A little knowledge is a dangerous thing,” the KCTU members criticized President Roh, saying, “President Roh, who is proud of himself as an expert on the labor movement, is condemning workers and slandering the KCTU while ordering an aggressive crackdown on labor movements.”

The statement was released a day after the President Roh gave a reproving remark on the KCTU on August 26, noting, “The recent movements (of cargo workers‘ strikes) were in clear violation of the law, and from this point of view, the KCTU’s activities seem lack of legitimacy.” It was the first time for the KCTU to target and express such a strong criticism against the President of the nation.

The KCTU called the president “the green shaman” concerning labor issues, arguing, “All the firsthand experience president Roh has had on labor issues was confined to a few months after the pro-democratization movements in June 1987. And even while he practiced law for laborers, he represented businesses including chaebols.”

The KCTU went on to say, “A little knowledge is more dangerous than no knowledge at all since the President is erroneously condemning the labor movements with passing and distorted knowledge.”

A guess is that the conflict between the President and the labor union was testimony to their estrangement since the recent strikes of cargo workers.

In the meantime, skepticism over the KCTU‘s statement is commonly found in the nation.

An Internet user, named “Deplorable,” posted an article on the website of the KCTU (www.nodong.org) and said, “If you say that the President is killing you, I would say that you are killing the Korean people.”

“From my monthly wage of 850,000won, I only have a little more than 200,000 won to spend as my own, but I have not asked for a pay raise since I know what situation my company is in,” said another netizen, called “Jin-hee”, adding, ”You should think of the national economy before raising your own voices.” A government official also said “The KCTU‘s depression is understandable, but the government policy to rigidly respond to illegal class actions is not to blame.” He also added, ”It is too much for people to use such foul language against the President.”

Kyung-Joon Chung news91@donga.com