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26 November, 2001President Sung-hyun Mun, KMWF, has been taken to prison in Seoul.
KOREA, REP: On the 23rd of November, Sung-hyun Mun, president of the Korean Metal Workers Federation (KMWF) was sentenced to one and half years in prison. Right after the sentence of detention, he was taken to Seoul prison.
The charges against president Mun are KMWF led strikes in 1998 and 1999, obstruction of business, obstruction of public law enforcement, law on assembly and demonstration, law on traffic obstruction.
President Mun was once imprisoned in July 1999 and released since the prosecutor dropped his case. Yet the prosecutor re-decided to press the charges against him in October 2000. Since then his case had been pending in court without detention.
According to the KMWF, the court decision reflects the current status of the Korean government and Korean labour laws that still do not recognise the workers' rights of collective action and rights to strike for the political issues. The KMWF has been playing a key role in the workers' movement for labour law reforms.
The charges against president Mun are KMWF led strikes in 1998 and 1999, obstruction of business, obstruction of public law enforcement, law on assembly and demonstration, law on traffic obstruction.
President Mun was once imprisoned in July 1999 and released since the prosecutor dropped his case. Yet the prosecutor re-decided to press the charges against him in October 2000. Since then his case had been pending in court without detention.
According to the KMWF, the court decision reflects the current status of the Korean government and Korean labour laws that still do not recognise the workers' rights of collective action and rights to strike for the political issues. The KMWF has been playing a key role in the workers' movement for labour law reforms.