Korea has witnessed countless movements to establish democracy. The months of April, May, and June are special in Korea. Many democratic movements beginning in the 1960s occurred in these months, such as the 4.19 Revolution, 5.18 Gwangju Democratization Movement, and the June Democratic Uprising. The 4.19 Revolution was a movement for democracy led by students and citizens to oppose autocracy in the 1960s. The 5.18 Gwangju Democratization Movement was likewise a movement for democracy by Gwangju citizens to resist an autocratic regime. Many people are reported to have been killed and injured. After this fateful day, the democracy movement spread throughout the country. The widespread democracy movement is referred to as the June Democratic Uprising.

 

In the stream, a man reformed the labor world in Korea. At the time, labor practices did not conform to the Labor Standards Law. After his efforts, the labor world changed; the Labor Standards Law came to protect workers. His name is Jeon Tae Il, a name well known in the labor world. A child of a poor working class family, he began working at a young age for his family. He took an interest in the labor movement after experiencing the terrible working conditions, hard labor, and long work hours as a tailor. At night, he began to study the Labor Standards Law, using its clauses to protest the disadvantages for workers in the field. He investigated and surveyed the actual condition of labor at Cheonggye creek. To improve the labor field, he sent a petition to the Labor Office. The petition called for policies that would uphold the Labor Standards Law to address the dire labor conditions. However, the officers merely laughed at the petition, ignoring its calls. In the 1970s, Korea’s democracy was a formality; a flawed, unfair system. Moreover, Koreans lacked maturity in terms of a democratic mindset. Thus, the workers could not be protected by the Labor Standards Law. On November 13, 1970, Jeon prepared a performance of burning an effigy of the Labor Standards Law to send the message that this law was incompetent. He prepared supplies for the performance and held protests in front of Pyeonghwa Market, calling for improvement in the labor conditions. Capitalists and the police soon sought to disperse these protests. One method was to deprive the protesters of supplies. After the protests were temporarily ceased, Jeon poured oil on his body and lit himself on fire in the afternoon of the same day. He shouted, “Keep the Labor Standards Law, we are not machines,” before he became incoherent. He was rushed to a nearby hospital, but he was soon in a coma. The hospital did not treat him for his burns, neglecting him for three hours. He died later that day. His death cast doubt on a little known fact until then. At the time, this case rendered a significant influence on the labor world. Exploited and fired workers finally stood up to protest. In 1971, 1,600 struggles of labor workers were recorded. This figure was a tenfold increase from that in the previous year. The anger of workers finally exploded. In addition, a large crowd of students rose up against the government. The worlds of politics and religion recognized the great change unfolding then. They moved to react quickly. After this episode, Jeon’s influence reached both labor human rights and the development of democracy. If he had not been born, the human rights of Korean workers would wait a decade to be respected. At present, Korean labor workers are protected under the Labor Standards Law. His sacrifice contributed to the democratization of the Korea labor world.

 

Jeon Tae Il is remembered as one of the best labor advocates. His name is frequently mentioned in demonstrations. The years passed, and they who struggled for democracy became the older generation. Gradually, new generations replaced the old. The youth need to contemplate upon the struggles in history, from which they benefit; they do not need to launch such a struggle. The history of our parents and grandparents is but a part of history. Their story is not only an account of their struggles but also the continued saga of labor in the new generation. People in this new generation should keep their history alive, given that they in a stable era owing to the tumults of the past. They should appreciate history, but they tend to forget the past too quickly. In remembering history, they will be able to avoid same mistakes and bolster their national spirit. In the words of Sir Winston Churchill, a nation that forgets its past has no future.

 

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