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Papers
Building A
Labor Media Movement in South Korea
11/18/2006
Presentation at LaborTech 2006 www.labortech.net
by
Jiyoung Lee
President
Labor News Production
Seoul, Korea
In this presentation
I would like to make two points about our media strategy in Korea.
The first point is how we have used media in the Korean labor movement
and
the second point is a brief introduction of our (Labor News Production)
project for a workers' strategy on media (Labor movement media strategy).
Labor media
movement in South Korea started with workers struggle. Since our
beginnings, we have made videos to publicize workers' struggles
from the workers' standpoint. At the same time we also made videos
as an education tool to increase workers' class consciousness.
Since the 1987 "nationwide great workers struggle", there
has been a rapid growth in the workers movement. In the process
of the growing consciousness of the workers in these struggles,
labor activists have provided various education programs. The strikes
themselves were a good education space for workers.
In the beginning,
education was in the form of lectures. But with the advent of video,
this technology was widely used for education and information sharing.
Video was co-produced by professional teams (such as LNP) with trade
unions. LNP has made more than100 videos since 1989. Subjects of
these videos were diverse.
Educational videos on job-security, non-regular workers, mainstream
media problem of censorship, labor law, neo-liberalism, affects
of night work, criticism on government and so on.
Historical videos on 'Hyundai heavy industry trade union', 'Korea's
democratic labor union movement', News reel on 'general strike in
1997', 'subway workers' strike in 1994', 'Daewoo motor worker struggle
in 2001', We also made struggle feature-length documentaries on
'the fired workers', struggle of Korea telecommunication contract
workers and others.
Another one is about Samsung anti-union policy and surveillance
workers. entitled as 'There is a big brother.'
Another one is about no-regular worker's death and struggle of Hyundai
heavy industry.
Some of our recent programs are educational videos co-produced with
the KCTU metal federation about forming an industrial labor union.
Another one was with public federation about the same subject. This
has being made in a serial form for internet(at public federation
home page).
In addition
to production, another important area of Korean labor activities
is training video activist through various training program by LNP
and other organizations. As a result of these training, now we have
3 important groups of labor video activists.
The first one is our professional team (such as LNP).
The second group is workers video collectives. Now in many unions,
workers are producing their own videos.
the third group is professional independent documentary film markers.
These three groups are producing a lot of videos and distributing
through various media.
Workers video
collectives are particularly the most important forces in the labor
media. We at LNP, have been organizing these workers video collective
since 1993. We have trained workers about how to make videos and
have made efforts to build a nation-wide organization. A nation-wide
organization was not formed yet, organizations with regional basis
were built and they are very active. Seoul International Labor and
Film Festival was actually intended to share workers' videos and
to give momentum to their works.
Recent change
of media environment brought us new opportunities. This change is
based on capitalist development which at the same time has been
providing new weapons for the labor movement. As a result of new
communication technological developments, we have various distribution
methods including; union education time based on the contract, various
forms of screening, labor film festival, broadcasting, internet,
and other new media.
Let me briefly
explain how we make use of labor media.
<Broadcasting
at workspaces>
In the company level, there are also changes of media environment
and trade union's intervention to the structure. For example, after
few years of struggle, Hyundai Motor Union can air their program
during the lunch time for the workers once a week based on the contract.
Its contents are the union news, workers' issue and workers' struggle.
But right now the Hyundai Motor union broadcasting is suspended.
In the contract on the company cable broadcasting tv, there is an
agreement that they don't blame each other the union and the company.
There is on going dispute over this issue.
At first the company refused air union programs about the money
scandal of 'Jung Mong Gu'(The president of Hyundai Motor). He embezzled
money from the company and then used it for bribing officials.
So the union said if you don't air our video neither can yours be
programmed. It's about censorship.
In the end, there has been no cable broadcasting since last April
by either side. At the same time, the union broadcasting team has
been screening at the main gates of the factory so that the union
members can watch these videos when they are arriving and leaving
the factory.
<Internet>
Internet is important means of media in the labor movement. For
example there are many cases which prove that the internet is a
powerful tool in our struggles in the public arena.
In 2002, when the power plant workers went on strike, their tactics
were to scatter as a small groups so they could not be arrested
easily by the government. What was at issue was how to share the
information among workers participating in the strike and how to
make their struggle public to the ordinary citizens and in the public
space. So they established web site for internal communication and
external communication with help from various media activists. Contents
of this kind of web site included not only text but also photos,
audio and videos. Now many unions and activist organizations are
streaming audio-visual content through the web site.
<Public Access
Channel>
On the issue of satellite television, there is a public access channel
called RTV.
This year, RTV has been structurally changed into a more progressive
channel.
One of the changes is to launch 5 new regular biweekly programs.
One of the new regular programs is about the labor issues and is
produced by LNP.
Contents of this program are labor news, counseling about workers'
problems, field reports, and analysis on capitalism. What is more,
programs related to labor issues are sent out on the air.
<Labor Internet
Broadcasting of LNP>
Now I would like to give brief introduction of LNP's labor media
projects we are planning. This is Labor Internet Broadcasting and
Its name is Geobooki-it means turtle.
Our slogan is,
<Geobooki> is internet broadcasting.
<Geobooki> is not fast.
<Geobooki> is workers' own broadcasting.
<Geobooki> is small but,
<Geobooki> is all about us.
<Geobooki> is a new window of LNP to working class.
1. Background
LNP is not only a labor movement group, but a media movement group
which has devoted itself to a revolutionary social changes led by
the working class. It has continued its works for 18 years.
<Geobooki> project starts with the need of expanding LNP's
activity such as film making, education, organizing workers video
collective more openly.
We don't have much specified ideas though, we are trying to get
into the process.
2, Goals
1) To strengthen activities to meet working class directly.
2) To enlarge contacts with working class more closely to their
daily lives.
3) To deepen and widen understanding of working class interests.
3. Activity
Firstly, we are planning video making.
One thing we want to make is small video clips(5-10minutes). Through
these video clips, we would like to deal with current affairs, historical
stories and people, family and love stories as well.
The other thing is 'Somewhat Late News Clips' (2-3minutes). We will
deal with workers struggle and their problems through these news.
We are planning to make small animations as well.
The LNP has used many animations to make workers better understand
their struggle. Workers like animations because they can understand
them easily and enjoy them at the same time. There are some videos
that are combined with animations and we have made a new video about
'What Capitalism is' using animations which has gained much popularity
among workers.
Secondly, we
are planning educational activities through the internet broadcasting.
The education activities are intended to make 'workers video collectives'
Until now, education and training program for workers' video making
was with face to face programs. Because of this limitation of face
to face programs, workers in remote areas from Seoul couldn't easily
get access to them. Even though workers completed the course, they
felt it was still difficult to use their skills. Therefore, we felt
we needed a new way of education and training which could keep the
connection between instructors with workers on an ongoing basis.
This on-line education and training program would give us more access
to workers particularly who live far from Seoul on a regular basis.
Thirdly, we
are making new distribution channels.
We can distribute LNP's works at first through the internet. We've
made more than 100 works. We will update our works on the internet
and share them. But we have not decided whether it would be free
or not because distribution is main source of fundraising for LNP.
There are works of other workers video collectives as well. Through
the internet, we will try to share their works and for workers to
get an assessment of these works through the Internet. We can also
distribute labor video works from abroad.
Fourth, we will
make archives including scripts, films and soundtracks.
Lastly, the
opening of <Geobooki> would be in 2007. We are making the
plans more concrete this year.
Neo-liberalism
has attacked workers brutally, however I believe we can overcome
these assaults. The past, repression on workers created an engine
of action by the workers' movement. Likewise, the neo-liberal attack
makes workers unite even more strongly. Neo-liberalism gives them
a chance them to make a defensive strategy. It also gives workers
an opportunity to create a strategy beyond this capitalism and toward
a new society. I believe at this time we should use this opportunity
to make this new strategy with you as well. I hope we can fight
together and make a labor media strategy against neo-liberalism.
We in the LNP, will do our best in solidarity with you.
Thank you for listening.
Jiyoung Lee
Chair
Labor News Production
www.lnp89.org
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