EDITORIAL from the Korea Herald on Feb. 10)

Troubled labor group

The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions and the Korean Teachers and Education
Workers Union, or "Jeongyojo," have been the two main groups involved in radical
leftist movements in this country. So it is not without irony that the national
umbrella union has faced its worst crisis because of allegations that a key KCTU
official tried to rape a Jeongyojo member.
KCTU's nine-man executive committee stepped down yesterday. The plaintiff filed
formal complaints against her assailant and accused union officials of attempting
to cover up the incident. For days, the homepage of the labor group has been
flooded with postings from members and outsiders lambasting the union as a body
of moral outcasts.
KCTU hurriedly issued an apology to the nation, reporting instant dismissal of
the man accused and assuring no recurrence of such an incident. Yet, the scandal
seriously harmed the union's claim to protect the rights of the weak in our
society and provided rightists with excellent ammunition to attack the more
militant elements of the nation's labor movement.
Already, the union organization was floundering following the arrest of its
president Lee Suk-haeng last December in connection with illegal protests against
U.S. beef imports. Factional feuds between moderates and hardliners have
deteriorated in the absence of the top leader. That the alleged assault occurred
at the apartment of a woman who offered Lee sanctuary is the most embarrassing
part of the unfortunate developments.
According to the allegations, she met three KTCU executives in a restaurant after
Lee was arrested at her apartment. The unionists allegedly asked her to give
false testimony to police about the circumstances of Lee being at her place. One
of the three, who is the chairman of the union's membership committee, followed
her into her apartment and attempted to rape her. Escaping from the sexual
assault, she reported the incident to the KCTU leaders but they took no action,
she claims.
Upon the plaintiff's complaints, the authorities will conduct an investigation.
Wrongdoings, if there have been any, will be exposed. But with the KCTU's
apology, the image of how the union behaves has been considerably tainted. Damage
control will not be easy, as the leadership is in tatters and the onslaught from
the political right is ever mounting.
An emergency committee will manage the union for the time being. Some predict
that hardliners may come to the fore to fill the leadership void. Whoever will be
in charge at this critical time, however, should seriously review the approach
taken in the union's "struggle" since its inception two decades ago. They are
first of all urged to see how their extremist actions over the years alienated
even the bigger part of the working class that seeks stability.
KCTU has become synonymous with strikes and it carries the image of massive,
violent street demonstrations often accompanied by political slogans. The
outpouring of criticism over the sexual assault scandal reflects the pent up
public disappointment with the labor group's inappropriate activities. "You
shattered my hope and put 15 million organized workers into despair," an internet
commentator lamented.
The national union movement is at a crossroads. It has no future if it goes on
the blindly radical course steered by politicized leaders, particularly at this
difficult time when the whole nation is striving to overcome the worldwide
economic crisis.
(END)