The first reprinted document below is from The 4th Media’s global partner the Center for Global Research (please see: http://www.globalresearch.ca/stop-political-repression-in-south-korea/5350470.) This document was recently drafted by a number of international friends and supporters of South Korea’s democratic and reunification struggle. After signed by over 50 some internationally well-recognized individuals such as Prof. Noam Chomsky, former US Attorney General Dr. Ram Clark, Prof. Michel Chossudovsky, and so on, it was published by a popular daily internet media, called OhMyNews.com.
After the publication of the said document through OhMyNews.com, South Korea’s nationwide emergency action committee, called “Task Force To Denounce Political ‘False Flag’ Case (so-called, “Conspiracy of a Rebellion”) Fabricated by National Intelligence Service (NIS is equivalent to the “Korean CIA”),” had disseminated it to other domestic medias in Seoul, Korea as well.
The Task Force was organized by progressive peoples and organizations to fight back and overcome the resurgent harsh political oppression under the new Park Geun-hae regime which itself is an extremely shameful outcome for all Koreans, not only in south but also in north and overseas as well.
The birth of Daughter Park regime as another disgraceful political disaster in South Korean history was a direct result of government-involved “division (dirty) politics” where official government agencies such as the notorious National Intelligence Service (like FBI/CIA in US), National Prosecutorial Office, National Police Headquarter, and even the nation’s highest Central Election Management Committee of previous Lee regime had illegally involved in last Presidential Election in December, 2012.
As expected, like her cunning, ruthless and vicious “Father Dictator” (of course, as a US puppet or frontman) who was assassinated in 1979 after 18 years of power under the auspices of US, she, the Daughter Dictator, too, has been habitually relying on the “father-made” notorious National Security Law which had continuously silenced (i.e., “tortured and executed”) suppressed and demonized progressive and nationalistic voices of people in Korea. (Please see the following article on this topic: http://www.4thmedia.org/2013/09/22/daughter-dictator-wields-father-dictators-political-terror-campaign-neo-mccarthyism-in-south-korea/)
This reactionary political situation is nothing new at all in the history of South Korean “division politics.” It’s been forcefully and repeatedly imposed upon the entire South Korean population even since the US-installed consecutive (puppet) regimes, except the two administrations led by late president Kim Dae-Jung, a Nobel Peace Laureate, and his successor late president Roh Moo-hyun, have been enthroned in southern part of Korean peninsula in September, 1945 when the MacArthur-led US Occupation Army landed in Inchon when Korea was supposed to be liberated from Japanese half a century-long colonial rule.
As urgently expressed in the provided two documents below, the UPP’s Emergency Action Committee is URGENTLY calling for help from all over the world and asking for YOUR political and moral support for their just but VERY LONELY and somewhat isolated struggle in South Korean political context.
So, in behalf of tens of millions in South Korea, The 4th Media, in support of their just struggle, also calls for the help from our global viewers and supporters. Anyone, any organization who’d like to support Korean’s just cause, please let them know either directly emailing them at admin@goupp.org or write to us at ChiefEditor@4thmedia.org, then we’ll pass them to Korea as well.
Thank you very much for your support in advance!
Sincerely,
Prof. Kiyul Chung, Editor-in-Chief, The 4th Media
(The First Document from the Task Force)
Democracy in South Korea is under attack!
The ruling Saenuri Party of President Park Geun-hye and the National Intelligence Service(NIS) have launched a witch hunt to purge progressive voices from the political process.
On August 28, the National Intelligence Service (NIS), formerly known as the Korean CIA, raided the offices and homes of the Unified Progressive Party, which holds six seats in South Korea’s National Assembly. Three members were arrested during the raids, and lawmaker Lee Seok-ki was. later stripped of immunity and placed under arrest.
The NIS charged that members of the Unified Progressive Party were plotting rebellion, aiming to take up arms against the government in the event of war with North Korea. The sole evidence for these outlandish claims was a transcript said to be taken from a surreptitious filming by an informer of two meetings held by the Unified Progressive Party in May.
Those arrested say that the NIS fabricated the words that it attributed to them, and an internal investigation by the Unified Progressive Party affirmed that the transcript excerpts the NIS leaked to the press did not correspond to what participants in the meetings heard being said.
The NIS, like its predecessor, the KCIA, has a long history of inventing and manipulating evidence in order to achieve its political aims. In the last Korean election, it manipulated a transcript from former South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun’s meetings with North Korean leader Kim Jong-il.
The changes made it appear that Roh intended to turn over South Korean territorial waters to the north. The intent was to paint the liberal and left opposition parties as disloyal and provide a boost to the campaigns of candidates belonging to the ruling party.
The NIS is once again fabricating evidence, this time in order to remove the Unified Progressive Party from the national scene. Lee-Seok-ki and others face the prospect of imprisonment, and the NIS is considering adding the charge of aiding the enemy, which carries with it a potential death penalty.
The Unified Progressive Party spearheaded the ever-growing national protests against abuses by the NIS. Outrage has been mounting over interference by the NIS in the electoral process, and harassment and investigations against individuals for their politics, such as opponents of the Korean Free Trade Agreement. Protests increased in size and militancy, spreading throughout the nation.
The National Security Law, a remnant from the Japanese colonial period and the anti-communist Syngman Rhee regime in the years following the Second World War, is still in effect, and essentially makes it a crime to express thoughts that can be construed as “pro-North” or “pro-communist.” When liberally interpreted, it has often been used to suppress dissent.
The National Security Law is the weapon of choice for the NIS. Clearly, the attack on the party aims to crush the calls to reform the NIS and provide bogus justification for its continued involvement in domestic affairs.
The ruling Saenuri Party is calling for Lee Seok-ki to be removed from office, even though he has yet to be tried, let alone convicted. The Ministry of Justice has created a taskforce to look into responding to petitions by conservative groups to file a request with the Constitutional Court to dissolve the Unified Progressive Party.
The South Korean people suffered under many years of dictatorship and military rule. They won a hard-fought victory to bring democracy to their nation. The McCarthyist tactics of the Saenuri Party and the NIS threaten to undo that achievement. They cannot be allowed to destroy South Korea’s democracy.
We, the undersigned, demand the Park Geun-hye administration:
• Free Lee Seok-ki and other members of the Unified Progressive Party arrested under false charges.
• Free members of the Beomminryeon unification organization, arrested in a raid by the NIS in June.
• Halt the effort to remove Lee Seok-ki from office.
• Stop the move to dissolve the Unified Progressive Party.
• Abolish the National Security Law, instrument of repression.
• Ban the National Intelligence Service from engaging in domestic surveillance and investigation of citizens.
• Bring to justice those in the NIS who were responsible for interfering in the last December Presidential Election and in fabricating evidence.
Reprinted from http://www.globalresearch.ca/stop-political-repression-in-south-korea/5350470
and distributed by
Task Force To Denounce Political ‘False Flag’ Case (so-called, “Conspiracy of a Rebellion”) Fabricated by National Intelligence Service (the NIS is equivalent to “Korean CIA”)
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Related documents from Unified Progressive Party (UPP) regarding the above-mentioned False Flag case:
The UPP Chairwoman Lee Jung-Hee’s Press Statement
At the press conference of regional representatives of the Unified Progressive Party
Date : Monday, Sep. 2, 2013 at 11:00 am
Venue : In front of the main National Assembly building
Progressive democratic powers should collaborate now. It is time to chase and convict the mastermind behind interference of National Intelligence Service in the presidential election. But, we are in the storm of rebellion plotting fabricated by NIS.
In addition to the interference of presidential election and political maneuvers, it was revealed yesterday that the NIS has conducted two more crimes. Firstly, the NIS has secretly investigated political parties. Surprisingly, the Military Prosecution, National Prosecutors and the Police formed a task force team and continued to inspect political parties systematically. Obviously this is a breach of national discipline.
Secondly, the NIS has bribed Mr. Lee, a member of the UPP, with a large fortune from taxpayer‘s money to spy against the UPP and directed him to wiretap the UPP activities. The NIS has shamelessly lied that it was a legal wiretap that followed appropriate procedures. Its conducts were illegal beyond all questions and reproach.
Secret inspection of political parties was directed by the Blue House. The NIS alone does not have the authority to organize the Military Prosecution, National Prosecutors and the Police altogether. There is only one person in Korea who can command those four institutions to come together. It is the president of Korea.
It is now a known fact that in order to investigate and break up the UPP during the regime of Lee Myung-bak, Won Sei-hoon, the former head of the NIS formed an institution that is very similar to the notorious inspection team for public security during the former dictators’ governments led by Jeon Doo-hwan and Noh Tae-woo. This is a brutal and mean political maneuver.
We firmly oppose approving a resolution for the arrest of the Unified Progressive Party lawmaker, Lee Seok-ki at a plenary session of the National Assembly. Opposition parties including the Democratic Party should not submit to and sympathize with the NIS.
Surely, we all know that the NIS is making its strategic moves to escape the peril of dismissing Nam Jae-joon, chief of the NIS and downsizing and budget cuts of the NIS in the wake of its interference in the last year’s presidential election. How can we reform the NIS if we admit its plans to disrupt its reforms?
Rebellion plotting cannot be guilty because this charge was made through an illegal trap. Approval of arrest based on fabrication should not be allowed. We sincerely appeal to all of the opposition parties and civil societies. We should not give a club to the NIS again.
All of the opposition parties, civil societies, religious communities and people from candlelight vigils should unite. What they seek is our division. They are using a straight forward “divide and conquer” tactic to break us apart. We should unite together even if we have small differences in our views. The UPP will be at the forefront of defending democracy. Thank you very much.
Realizing Direct Democracy Emergency Action Committee, Unified Progressive Party
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About the The Unified Progressive Party
Aims of the UPP
The Unified Progressive Party seeks to create a new society in which progressive democracy is established. Progressive democracy is the way towards Independence (Sovereignty), Democracy, Equality, and Reunification of Korea. In South Korea, the Party is the only one that identifies itself as a party for independence, peace and reunification in keeping with the vision of the 6.15 and 10.4 joint declarations.
The Unified Progressive Party is a party for laborers, farmers, fishermen and the working class. To date, the Party has campaigned for Free education, Free health care and Tax on the wealthy as progressive alternatives to Korean Society.
Now, we are proposing and taking a lead on new alternatives such as establishing unified economy on the Korean Peninsula, elimination of irregular worker system, Introducing Government purchase policy of basic agricultural products and realization welfare system for the public for the public.
History of the UPP
– October 26, 1997. The Victory of People 21 for Democracy and Progress established.
– December 18, 1997. The Victory of People 21 gained 1.2 % of the vote at the 15th Presidential Election
– January 30, 2000. The Korea Democratic Labor Party (KDLP) established
– December 19, 2002. The KDLP gained 3.9% of the vote at the 16th presidential election.
– December 19, 2007. The KDLP gained 3% of the vote at the 17th presidential election.
– April 9, 2008. The KDLP gained 5 seats in the National Assembly in the 18th election.
– December 6, 2011. The KDLP, the Participation party and Unified Alliance were merged into the Unified Progressive Party.
– April 11, 2012. Unified Progressive Party gained 13 seats in the National Assembly in the 19th election.
– June 2012. Only 6 seats in the National assembly remained after withdrawal of its majority members
– December 2012. LEE Junghee presidential candidate voluntarily resigned for the government change at the 18th presidential election
– March 2013. LEE Junghee elected as Party chairperson and the 3rd leadership launched.
– June 28 2013. 2013 Policy Conference was held.
Characteristics of the UPP
1. Member-Driven Party
Members nominate candidates for various elections,
Members set the Party’s main agenda,
A truly member-driven, 100% democratic party.
2. Reshaping Korea’s Political Landscape
10 years ago, our call for reform was hardly heard.
Finally, all parties are now following the footsteps of the Unified Progressive Party
Making gains in Free education, free health care, free meals, free childcare at the government level with some limitations.
3. Creating a unified world with workers at the center
*Realize non-discrimination and full labor rights through elimination of irregular worker system
*Increase National food sovereignty and stabilize farmer income through government purchasing policy on agricultural products
*Implement half tuition fee for college students
*Solve youth unemployment through youth employment quota
*Stop privatization and strengthen public services
*Realize peaceful reunification through implementation of the Joint Declarations of 6. 15 and 10.4
*End armistice and sign a peace treaty on the Korean Peninsula
These are the visions of the Unified Progressive Party.
Resolution of the UPP
1. Committed to a New Start
As the fruit of the June uprising in 1987, the Victory of People 21 was founded in 1997. It had evolved into the Korea Democratic Labor Party in 2000 in order to overcome the perils of capitalism and to build an independent, unified country.
In addition, the KDLP was founded in order to unite progressive individuals and groups towards a popular progressive party. In 2011, the Unified Progressive Party was formed with other groups led by the KDLP for South Korea’s rapid social change against conservative regime.
However, there have been instigators who tried to cause divisiveness within the progressive party by using the Korean version McCarthyism tactic, ‘Jongbuk (North Korea followers) Offense’ (red-baiting). This resulted in the Party becoming isolated from the public for some time.
Despite the tactics of red baiting, members kept the party firmly intact while its leadership strived to protect the party based on the belief of its members.
Candidate of the Unified Progressive Party ran for the 18th presidential election in 2012. The Party pointed out the fundamental contradictions underlying the Korean society and offered a proposal for progressive alternatives to the society. During the election campaign, the Party successfully showed the perspectives of the democratic development.
Now, the party is taking all of its efforts to creating a people-centered world by being on the ground with the working class.
2. Committed to a Peaceful Reunification
In 2013, the threat of war has come to its highest on the Korean Peninsula.
While everyone else has been afraid of being criticized for ‘Jongbuk’ and stepped back in fear, the Progressive Party was at the forefront of the anti-war and peace movement and urged inter-Korean dialogue culminating in a peace treaty.
Peaceful Reunification through implementation of the June 15 and October 4 Joint Declarations ! This is the top priority policy of the Progressive Party.
In addition, the Progressive Party is the only political party that is in an on-going communication with the Korean Social Democratic Party(DPRK).
The Unified Progressive Party will make every effort to achieve peace and reunification on the Korean Peninsula.
● The English brochure is attached for more information about the UPP