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16 August, 1999The former president of the Korean Metal Workers' Federation, Dan Byung-ho, was released from prison in a special amnesty on August 15.
KOREA, REP: Dan Byung-ho, union activist and former president of the IMF-affiliated Korean Metal Workers' Federation, benefitted from a special presidential amnesty this Sunday on Korea's 54th Anniversary of the National Day of Independence. The amnesty, which freed a total of 1,742 prisoners, included 56 persons convicted of violating Korea's strict National Security Law.
Dan Byung-ho was arrested in Seoul on October 19, 1998, and charged with "conspiring to obstruct business through a general strike" and "inciting illegal strike action." On January 12, after a public trial, he was found guilty and sentenced to two years in prison.
The IMF and many of its affiliates demanded Dan's release on numerous occasions, citing violations by the Korean government of ILO Conventions Nos. 87 and 98 on Freedom of Association and the Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining. Also, formal complaints were filed with the ILO.
In a meeting between President Kim Dae-jung and Korean trade union leaders at the end of June, the Korean president promised an "amicable settlement" for all arrested trade unionists and those on the wanted lists. Thus, though the IMF welcomes the good news of Dan's amnesty, many other trade unionists remain either in detention or in hiding, and we will keep up the pressure on the Korean government until it fulfils its promises.
Dan Byung-ho was arrested in Seoul on October 19, 1998, and charged with "conspiring to obstruct business through a general strike" and "inciting illegal strike action." On January 12, after a public trial, he was found guilty and sentenced to two years in prison.
The IMF and many of its affiliates demanded Dan's release on numerous occasions, citing violations by the Korean government of ILO Conventions Nos. 87 and 98 on Freedom of Association and the Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining. Also, formal complaints were filed with the ILO.
In a meeting between President Kim Dae-jung and Korean trade union leaders at the end of June, the Korean president promised an "amicable settlement" for all arrested trade unionists and those on the wanted lists. Thus, though the IMF welcomes the good news of Dan's amnesty, many other trade unionists remain either in detention or in hiding, and we will keep up the pressure on the Korean government until it fulfils its promises.