Carry on Candlelight Action!
Carry on Candlelight Action!
The 21st all-people action was launched in Seoul on March 25 with 100 000 people of various circles involved under the sponsorship of the People's Emergency Action for Forcing the Park Geun-hye Regime to Step Down. There took place a ceremony of the 15th anniversary of trade unions of public service at the rally. .
The speakers, at the ceremony, highly praised the trade unions that has conducted continuous drive in the teeth of suppression of the south Korean authorities and noted they would make joint efforts to liquidate seven decades-long evils. They said that the public officials and teachers are deprived of their political liberty and stressed that they would make strenuous efforts to reinstate laid-off workers and write a new history of labor through a general strike to be scheduled in July. They called for a vigorous struggle in reliance on the unionists and the trade unions. It demanded solution to wage disparity, guarantee of a stable workplace and establishment of social security network on unstable job according to sexes. Citizens gathered at an incense-burning altar for dead of ferry Sewol to hold candlelight action.
Noting that Park was ousted by strong demand and action of the public and ferry Sewol was refloated, they said it is fortunate that Sewol is salvaged. People of various circles gathered at a square with candle in their hands to hold a meeting. The bereaved families of ferry Sewol said that the salvage of ferry Sewol after Park’s retirement is attributable to candlelight action of the people, lamenting there are too many deep-rooted evils to be eliminated. Students from Seoul National University and other universities stated that they gathered at the plaza again deposing Park to build a new society quite different from the Park government. They said that Park was ousted from the Blue House, however, her vestiges undermine south Korea, calling for liquidating remaining deep-rooted evils through a unremitting candlelight action. They chanted slogans “Never tolerate interruption of investigation”, “Ferry Sewol was refloated. Arrest Park” and “Truth never sinks and punish the accomplices”. After the end of the rally, they marched toward the official residence of prime minister and every direction of Seoul. Candlelight actions were also held in Gwangju and other parts of south Korea that day in demand of a probe into the truth behind the ferry Sewol disaster and detention of Park. |