It wouldn’t be Korea if somebody wasn’t protesting something:
Anti-carpool protesters raise pickets reading “Illegal carpool app service OUT,” “Illegal personal vehicle service in disguise of carpool OUT” and “Keep passenger transport industry ordered.”
A walkout by thousands of taxi drivers in protest against a commercial carpool service disrupted commuters heading to works during morning rush hour on Thursday.
The stoppage began at 4 a.m. to protest against the recent launch of Kakao T Carpool, a ride-sharing service designed to connect ordinary drivers to passengers during the morning and evening rush hours. The taxi drivers claim the top mobile messaging company’s service will kill the industry. [Korea Times]
You can read more at the link, but the ride share apps are a threat to the established taxi industry across the world. The way I look at this is that this would be like retail store workers protesting against Amazon instead of evolving with the times and making a better service or product to entice consumers.
Angry self-employed businessmen from across the country call for the government to revoke the recent sharp increase of the minimum wage during a rally amid heavy rains at Gwanghwamun Square in downtown Seoul on Aug. 29, 2018. Many self-employed persons gave up their businesses in the wake of the hike. (Yonhap)
Participants in a national rally of monks at Jogye Temple, the headquarters of Korea’s largest Buddhist sect, the Jogye Order, march on the streets calling for sweeping reform of the order following the ouster of its disgraced executive chief Rev. Seoljeong over a series of corruption allegations. (Yonhap)
Like I had previously said, An may have gotten off criminally, but his career is over politically considering 20,000 people were motivated to come out and protest like this:
A protestor holds up a sign of a handcuffed An with the words “guilty” scribbled across his forehead. / Korea Times photo by Park Ji-won
Around 20,000 people rallied in downtown Seoul, Saturday, to protest a court’s recent decision to acquit former South Chungcheong Province Governor An Hee-jung of sexually assaulting and harassing his former secretary.
The public anger over the ruling in favor of the fallen political star in a high-profile #MeToo case signals a critical juncture in the months-long movement. The protest organizer expected only up to 2,000 participants.
The crowd, mostly dressed in black and of varying age groups, chanted slogans such as “A judiciary that protects sex offenders is an accomplice,” while holding placards stating, “No country for women” and “We, the survivors, are all Kim Ji-eun” (the alleged victim in An’s case). [Korea Times]
Here is some interesting facts about the case:
When Kim Ji-eun disclosed the sexual offenses by An in March, he first admitted to the crime on Facebook saying, “My office’s statement it was a consensual sexual relationship was wrong. This is all my fault.” However, he changed his statement after an investigation started, saying they had consensual sex.
The Seoul Western District Court ruled last Tuesday there was “insufficient evidence” that the accused used his position of authority to coerce the victim into having unwanted sex, saying the incident did not involve “the degree of physical force that makes it impossible for the victim to resist.” (…….)
In a letter read out to the protesters through her lawyer, Kim Ji-eun also reiterated this point.
“Do I have to kill myself to be recognized as a true #MeToo victim?” Kim’s letter read. “I was physically and sexually assaulted by An that day; I did everything in my power to show I did not want it to happen; I could not run away because I knew that I would be fired.”
Kim also denounced the court proceedings for not questioning An’s testimony.
“Dear judges: Did you ask An why he said sorry to me; why he first wrote on Facebook it was not a consensual relationship; and why he destroyed his phone before the prosecutors got to him? Why did you not question the perpetrator?” Kim said in the letter.
The protesters also said they were frustrated at the court’s failure to recognize the sexual intercourse between the employer and the employee as a rape only because there was no physical coercion or verbal threats. [Korea Times]
Activists stage a rally in front of a court in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province, 200 kilometers south of Seoul, on Aug. 16, 2018, denouncing a Seoul court ruling that found former South Chungcheong Province Gov. An Hee-jung not guilty of sexually abusing his former secretary Kim Ji-eun. The 54-year-old politician was indicted in April on charges of forcing Kim to have sex with him four times and molesting her multiple times between the middle of last year and early this year in Seoul and while on overseas business trips. The Seoul court said that there was not sufficient evidence to prove An used his position to have sexual relations with the plaintiff. (Yonhap)
I find it interesting that at a smaller level South Korea is going through the same refugee issue that the United States is:
Supporters, right, of Yemeni asylum seekers in Korea stage a rally in front of Sejongno Police Box in central Seoul, Saturday, urging the government to allow the refugees to stay, while protesters, left, in Gwanghwamun Plaza call for the law to be changed to block “fake asylum seekers.” Yonhap
Two rallies with clashing views on refugees were held over the weekend, in the latest development in the ongoing controversy concerning Yemeni asylum seekers, an increasing number of whom came to Jeju Island over the past few months to escape the ongoing civil war that began in 2015.
Hundreds of protesters varying in age from teenagers to over 50 gathered at Gwanghwamun in central Seoul, demanding the government abolish a visa waiver program under which foreigners can stay for up to 30 days being given a visa on entry. Nationals from all but 11 countries suspected of being sponsors of terrorism are eligible for the program implemented in 2002 to promote the economy and attract foreign spending on the resort island.
Protesters chanted slogans including “Korean people’s safety first,” “We want safety,” “Abolish no-visa policy” and “Who is this country for?”
The seemingly harsh sentiment was met by a more compassionate group nearby, where about same number of rally participants demanded Korea be more embracing towards the displaced. “Protests organized by anti-asylum seekers claim they want safety all the while fanning hatred and bigotry,” the group said. “If they really want safety, they should remain open to foreigners, rather than forcing them to take 3D jobs ― labor-intensive work characterized as dirty, difficult and dangerous ― helping them achieve goals and encouraging them to contribute to Korean society.” [Korea Times]
You can read more at the link, but what makes this issue different than from the US is that there is not a political party in South Korea that gains potential voters by allowing in people claiming to be refugees. The political implications is why this issue is burning so hot right now in the US before the mid-term elections.
I don’t think these protesters are going to find too many objections from men in regards to their demands towards Facebook:
A group of female protesters went topless in a rally against Facebook, Saturday, protesting its “discrimination,” based on a policy that bans posts showing women’s breasts but allows men’s naked torsos. Ten women wearing masks and sunglasses carried signs that read, “Why do you delete posts in which I willingly showed my breasts?” and “Set me free from what is virtually a modern corset,” near company headquarters in Gangnam, Seoul.
Soon after photographers and police arrived, the protesters lined up and took off their T-shirts to show a Korean character drawn on their chests to deliver the message “My body is not pornographic material.”
Police forcibly covered the women with blankets despite fierce protests, with some women shouting, “Why are police officers covering us? Why do they keep suppressing us?”
The highly “liberal” move came about a week after Facebook unilaterally deleted an account that posted a message with a photo of a topless woman, slapping the account holder with a one-month suspension. Facebook said the post violated company policy on uploading photos containing naked body parts and sexual acts. “Facebook is used by all age groups, which is why we need to create an environment where a majority of people feel safe,” the company was quoted as saying. “We understand the women’s group and where they are coming from. We must delete the topless photos for now.” [Korea Times]
Protesters stage a rally in front of the Government Building in downtown Seoul on May 24, 2018, to demand the government introduce measures to fully display the ingredients of genetically modified organism (GMO) food products. (Yonhap)
