Usage of Internet in Labor Movement



Im, Wan-chul (Social Information Networking Group)




1. Who is SING?
SING is opposed to commodities of the information, and wants to secure the impartial approach to information. SING considers the information as the core of productive capacity in this century. Therefore the objection to merchandising information and impartial approach to the information isn't only the problem of general democracy, but also the problem which includes whole reorganization of the right of ownership and style of production. This also the problem the reorganization existing monopolistic power of networking subjects. Also, the present hostile/competing social relationship and monopolistic power based on monopolistic
possession of information, are substituded for the equal power of networked subjects. For the sake of these, information, the human joint property, must be made through the social joint ownership and social relationship based of mutual communication and coorperation. These are our standard of action. Based on these, SING is opposed to producing information on a commercial scale, oppesed to the intelligent property rights, and leads Copyleft movement which symbolizes information joint ownership. Consequently, SING will lead activities of our own movement. It will become possibility and actual power.

2. To use WWW for Issue Fighting
WWW can be the important tool to inform about activity of some group and issue. It also can get the feedback of the public through guestbook, sign board, to use same logo. If web site is made in english, it can be alternative media to inform about Korean situations and ask for solidarity of foreign organizations.

Representative issue homepage is as follows :
1) General Strike in South Korea
http://kpd.sing-kr.org/strike/index-e.html

"At the dawn of 26 Dec. 96, the ruling party of South Korea passed unilaterally the amendment of labor laws containing a lot of anti-workers contents. Protesting against this labor laws, Korean Workers stands to fight. This site will provide the news of their strikes and the opinion of korean workers. Please Keep your eyes on them, and Show your solidarity. "
- General Strike in South Korea Web Site

2) No! Electronic National ID Card and Protect people's Privacy in Korea
http://kpd.sing-kr.org/idcard/

Big Brother is coming to Korea! "The era of electronic surveillance as described in the novel "1984" may appear in South Korea for the first time in the world. It is caused by the computerized personal information system project called "Electronic National Identification Card Project". Pricacy advocates in Korea are fighting to stop this project which dangerously threatens privacy of people. If the project should be introduced in Korea, it would not take much time for the similiar projects to be adopted in other nations. Your active paticipation is urgently needed for that reason. "

3) Free Speech
http://www.sing-kr.org/action/freespeech/

Presently, the situation in Korea, is completely nonsense. From the twenty fourth of May up to the third of June, NOWNURI, Major PC VAN(Value Added Network) in Korea, stopped 32 IDs and deleted hundreds of writings without any previous notice to the users by the ordinance of the Ministry of Information & Communications.

4) Forced Intrusion of Songnam Migrant Workers' House
http://kpd.sing-kr.org/sniwh/overseas2.html

" On June 3rd, Monday, 1996, 2 Nepalese workers came to the Songnam Migrant Workers' House seeking treatment. Suddenly Immigration Officials appeared and proceeded to arrest the Nepalese couple. The counselors refused to allow the arrest and as a result 500 armed police came to the Songnam office and forced their way in, and proceeded to break up the defending group. ......"

3. To Use Mailling-List for Social Movements.

1) What is mailing-list?
Mailing-list is a service that if one user mails to specific mail address, (ie. sing@mail.sing-kr.org, one of our mailing lists) mails to all that mailing-list subscribers.
Mailing-list is a good communication method for group discussion. It can be used for discussion about specific subjects, and for communications in the specific organizations.
To use mailing-lists, you must have an account can send or receive internet mail. You also can use that in a commercial BBS supporting internet mail like a Nownuri, Chollian, Hitel (In Korea), AOL, Prodigy.

2) SING supports mailing list
If organization were to discuss with mailing list, SING would support the mailing list service.
- sing@mail.sing-kr.org ; SING mailing list, You would gain the various information about information movement rapidly. *active*
- jinbo@mail.sing-kr.org ; Telecommunication Taskgroup for General Strike (TTGS) mailinglist, this is the mailinglist of progressive telecommunication solidarity and used by information supporters working for General Strike in South Korea. *active*
- idcard@mail.sing-kr.org ; Maillinglist for communications in the Joint Counterplan Committee to obstruct National Electronic ID card
- jca-sing@mail.sing-kr.org ; Mailinglist for solidarity of JCA and SING
- forum@mail.sing-kr.org ; Mailinlist for National College Student Information Movement forum

4. Korean Progressive Directory

1) What is 'KPD' ?
KPD is abbr. of 'Korean Progressive Directory'. It is SING's electronic network project to help korea nonprofit organization using new technology and to communicate eath other and the public. We made this site in June, 1996. KPD offered indice of social movemnet groups fractionated by subjects like labor, woman, environment, information, etc. and issue homepage.
( KPD URL is http://kpd.sing-kr.org)

2) Renewal of KPD
But, old KPD was only in Korean and had many problems. So we decided to renew KPD.
- Widen indice of social movement groups : KPD will offer indices of web page and basic informations of social movement groups which haven't their web site also.
- KPD will offer KPD english page to be accesible from foreign contries.
- KPD will offer news letter of each social movement group through mailing list and web
- KPD will offer issue homepage

3) KPD's Objectives
- inform the world of the activity of korean social movement groups via internet service - inform korean of the activity of foreign NGOs activity.
- offer starting point of Korean social movement groups.
- help Korean social movement groups to use internet. As examples, mailinglist server, database, well-designed cgi program, cgi gateway to database.
Briefly speaking, we will make Korean Progressive Network to communicate with the world and each other, using electronic technology.

5. Alternative Internet Broadcasting
We plan to make an alternative broadcasting through internet. It will have very different character from present broadcasting. Nowadays broadcasting media have its own very large number of watchers and limit of bandwidth. So they can be maintained only by thorough control and management of the power. But interactive technology of internet make a realtime broadcasting(including video and sound) possible. And we need technique of recording and editing video and sound to do internet broadcasting, SING have finished the test and will have the showcase in this LaborMedia Conference by live broadcasting of the conference. There remains some issues of how many people can recognize our broadcasting, how we can have our own contents suitable for our aim, and how we manage to produce it.