[영문 번역]Text Fwd: Samsung, Acknowledge the Leukemia as the Industrial Damage Disease!

Mr. Kim, Seong-Hwan does a speech appealing for the workers who have gotten leukemia as the industrial damage at the Samsung SDI factories, at the event of the anniversary of the fight against the Samsung X File (2005), sponsored by the former congressman, Mr. Roh, Hwoi-Chan, on Sept. 5, 2009. About 22 workers at the Samsung SDI have gotten leukemia and 11were dead. He has also said against the Samsung’s 'no union' policy, oppression of its workers such as threatening to kill and monitoring their phones. Mr. Kim, Seong-Hwan has been jailed many times himself, accused by Samsung under the charge of the “dishonoring’ and ‘intervention’ of Samsung affairs.

Ms. Jung, Ae-Jung, a former Samsung SDI worker has also lost her husband who had been a Samsung SDI worker as well and survived by his wife and two children. She said many woman workers in the Samsung SDI suffered for the sterility and any other unexplainable diseases. She said that the Samsung SDI had not explained about what the chemical the workers really handled with and there was no safety guide about them during their works.

Image Source: Mr. Kim, Seong-Hwan has collected the articles of the struggles in a book called, “ The Struggle of David against the Goliath Samsung” in jail and has been selected as one of the conscientious prisoners by the Amnesty International. In fact, many of the conscientious prisoners are the workers in the South Korea. The number of the workers in the labor movement in jail have been dramatically increased under the right wing government, Lee, Myung-Bak.

* Below is the unofficial translation of the writing (at the bottom)by Mr. Kim, Seong-Hwan, chaiman of the Samsung General Labor Union who sent the email on Oct. 3, 2009, asking to let the facts below known to the world.

* Samsung is one of the leading Korea Aerospace industry companies as well. Samsung make many weapon and weapon systems such as K-9 Self-Propelled gun and net-centric system in the Aegis destroyer. It is also involved in the infamous redevelopment program in Yongsan where 5 tenants were killed by the police during the struggle in January, 2009.


Samsung, Acknowledge the Leukemia as the Industrial Damage Disease!

By Kim, Seong-Hwan, Samsung General Labor Union
Oct. 1, 2009

I could not stand when I heard the news of the relapse of the Leukemia of Ms. Park, Ji-Yun, Leukemia victimized Samsung Semi-conductor worker. I ran to the headquarter building of the Samsung, Gangnam station as soon as a picket was made. I did a one-person protest to cry that Samsung should make live Park, Ji-Yun and acknowledge the leukemia as the industrial damage.

“Pray for the good recovery of Park, Ji-Yun, a Leukemia-victim of Samsung semi-conductor!”

“Samsung conglomerate, acknowledge the Leukemia as the industrial damage disease!

With the burst of indignation from the heart of so much chagrin, rage, I felt as if it was a crime if I did not do something. Following my heart, I made a picket and had a one-person protest.

While doing that, I looked upon the sky from time to time and found how truly high the Samsung building was, as if it pierced the sky. Wasn’t that the building made by the blood, tear and lives of thousands, of 10 thousands’ workers, was it? Furthermore it was such a painful torture that there was a fading life of a 23 year woman worker, Park, Ji-Yun, in front of our eyes and a parched heart of her mother who had to watch her daughter faded beside her.

After the one-person protest, I visited her mother at the Sungmo (*meaning St. Maria) hospital, Gangnam, with Ms. Lim, Mi-Young, Secretary of the Sponsors for the Conscientious Prisoners but what I could say? When the life of her daughter could not be guaranteed, saying how out of mind to think of her daughter who would suffer for the anti-cancer cure, she said if her daughter could not eat, she could not eat, either. From yesterday, she could only eat the rice soup that her daughter left and a cup of noodle that she thought, if not, she could not keep her daughter’s life. The secretary of the Sponsors for the Conscientious Prisoners could only tear without being able to say any words of console to her mother who crosses the border between life and death many times with her daughter a day.

However, we should find the ways we can do for the fading young life and fight for her!

We should let the world know why the young woman worker had to get the leukemia at such young age, to suffer, and to become dying without knowing any reasons; why the young twenty two woman and man workers got the Leukemia at the Samsung Semi-Conductor and 11 have been dead among them.

We should know that despite many informing by the victimized workers as time goes as this year, the Korea Occupational Safety and Healthy Agency (KOSHA) and the Korea Workers Compensation and Welfare Service (KCOMWEL) who have fallen down as the agent of the Samsung capital would never respect the workers dead and workers in beds for leukemia as the industry warriors and would not recover their honors, acknowledging their disease were for the industry damage.

Thus, we must let that fact known to the conscientious groups and people this society and to the world, even if our necks might burst and crack. Even though the facts that, in the factories of the Samsung Semi-Conductor, the super-rate coperation, 22 workers have gotten the leukemia and 11 were dead, the Samsung chaebol and Lee Myung Bak government had not said any responsible words; even though a young 23 year old woman worker, Park. Ji-Yun is now fighting with death in the bed of the Sungmo hospital, Gangnam, Seoul, by the relapse of the leukemia, the Samsung chaebol is yet ignoring the searching examination of truth, condemning to say that the happening of leukemia among workers is for the individual disease and only busy for hiding the truth with their bloody colors in face.

It is our responsibility to strengthen the international solidarity, to make the conscientious groups & people this land to fighter together so that they feel it is their moral responsibility and voluntary fight.

While the Samsung, self-proud of the 1st coperation of the South Korea, through the illegal & violent oppression on the workers, called ‘No Union Policy’ which violates the Constitution, trampling down the freedom of organizing and right of working in healthy condition, conducting any anti-social illegal crimes only for the profits for the inheritance management by the small families, our struggles against the Lee family of Samsung are just.

The issue whether the leukemia in the Samsung Semi-Conductor is industry damage or not does not matter anymore.

It is foolish as waiting for the new leaves coming out from the rotten old tree to beg the acknowledgement of the industry damage of the leukemia, and to expect any human care and consciousness from the KOSHA and KCOMWEL, the so-called specialist groups who abuse the workers' lives by humming the rhetoric of the scientific and medic relationship between the Samsung Semi-Conductor site and leukemia and who dance by the rhyme of the Samsung Chaebol.

Now, what matters is that the leukemia is not any more the individual suffering and death but the matter of the existence and consciousness of this society.


# Let’s have a candle rally and one-person protest together;

___The candle rally is done everyday between 5 to 7pm, in front gate of the Sungmo hospital, Gangnam, Seocho-gu (Back of the Gangnam terminal) from the date of Oct. 5

___The one-person protest is done on the pedestrian street, at the exit 4, Gangnam station. The choice of the hours is volunteering and we are waiting for many applications.

Contact Kim, Seong-Hwan
017-328-7836

# Please send the letter of support and encouragement praying for Ms. Park, Ji-Yun;

Address: Room No. 205, 19th Floor, Gangnam Sungmo Hospital, 505 Banpo, Seocho-gu, Seoul

Account: Kukmin bank
406201-01-041294
Account Holder: Kim, Seong-Hwan
(Chairman of the Samsung General Labor Union)
sinojo21@hanmail.net

* Related blog

http://nobasestorieskorea.blogspot.com/2009/08/text-fwd-amazing-day-in-korea.html
Saturday, August 15, 2009
[국문 번역][Text Fwd] AMAZING DAY IN KOREA

삼성본관 1인시위,백혈병을 산업재해 인정하라!

2009년 10월 1일 김성환 삼성 노조 위원장 씀

삼성반도체 백혈병피해노동자 박 지연씨의 백혈병 재발소식을 듣고 그냥 있을 수 없어 피켓이 만들어지자 마자 강남역 삼성본관으로 달려가 박 지연을 살려 내라고,백혈병을 산업재해로 인정하라고 나홀로 1인시위를 하였다.

“ 삼성반도체 백혈병 피해자 박 지연씨의 쾌유를 기원합니다!”

“삼성재벌은 백혈병을 산업재해 인정하라!”

너무 억울하고 분노하는 마음에 분통이 터져 당장이라도 1인시위라도 하지 않으면 죄를 짓는 것 같아 마음이 가는대로 피켓을 들고 1인시위를 하였다. 1인시위를 하면서 간간히 하늘을 올려보니 참으로 삼성전자의 본관건물은 하늘을 찌르듯이 높이 솟아 있다. 삼성본관의 저 높은 건물은 노동자의 피와 눈물 그리고 수천, 수만의 노동자들의 목숨 값으로 지어진 것이 아닌가, 더구나 지금 이 순간 23살 여성노동자 박 지연씨의 죽어가는 생명이 우리 눈앞에 있다는 사실과 더구나 딸의 꺼져가는 생명을 옆에서 지켜보아야 하는 어머님의 메마른 가슴을 생각하는 것은 가슴 아픈 고문이 아닐 수 없다.

1인시위 후 강남 성모병원을 찾아 박 지연씨의 어머님을 양심수후원회 임 미영사무국장과 같이 방문하였지만 무슨 말을 할수있나, 생명을 담보할 수 없는 상황에서 또다시 항암치료에 고통받을 딸을 생각하면 정신이 없다며, 딸이 못 먹으면 당신도 굶고, 어제부터 딸이 죽을 먹으면 남은 죽으로 허기를 달래고 그래도 이러면 않된다면서 컵라면으로 하루를 떼우고 딸과 같이 하루에도 몇 번이고 생사를 넘나드는 어머님에게 힘내시라는 변변한 말한마디 못하고 양심수후원회 사무국장은 눈물만 흘리고 말았다.

그래도 우리는 꺼져가는 젊은 생명을 위해 무엇이던 일을 찾아서 싸워야한다!

왜 23살의 여성노동자가 왜 어린 나이에 백혈병이 발병하여 고통을 당해야하는지 왜 죽어야 되는지, 이유도 모르면서 죽어가야 하는지 왜 삼성반도체에서 22명의 젊은 여성,남성노동자들이 백혈병 발병하고 그 중 11명이 죽었다는 사실을 세상에 알려야한다.

세월이 갈수록 올해처럼 더 많은 피해노동자들의 제보가 있어도 삼성재벌과 삼성자본의 하수인으로 전락한 산업안전보건공단과 근로복지공단은 결코 백혈병으로 사망하신 노동자와 치료 중인 노동자들을 산업전사로 대우하고 산업재해 인정을 통해 명예회복을 시켜 주지 않는다는 사실을 알아야한다.

그래서 우리는 목이 터지고 갈라지더라도 이 땅의 양심세력과 민중들에게 이러한 사실을 알려야 한다. 초 일류기업 삼성반도체공장에서 일하던 노동자들이 22명이나 백혈병이 발병하고 그 중 11명이 죽었음에도 삼성재벌과 이명박정권은 아무런 책임 있는 말을 못하고 있다고 그리고 23세의 젊은 여성노동자 박 지연씨가 지금 이 순간에도 강남성모병원 입원실에서 백혈병이 재발하여 죽음과 싸우고 있는데도 삼성재벌은 여전히 진실규명은 외면하고 백혈병 발병은 개인질병이라고 매도하면서 진실을 은폐하기에만 혈안이 되어 설치고 있다는 사실을 이 사회에 알리고 온 세계가 알도록 떠들어야 된다. 그래서 국제연대를 강화하고 이 땅의 양심세력과 온 국민들이 자발적이고 도덕적 책임감을 느낄 수 있도록 같이 싸워 나가야 할 책임이 우리에게 있다.

대한민국 1등기업이라고 자부하는 삼성재벌이 무노조 경영이라는 헌법에 반하는 불법적이고 폭력적인 노동자 탄압을 통해 노동자들의 결사의 자유와 건강하게 일할 수 있는 권리를 짓밟고, 족벌세습경영을 위해 오직 돈벌이에 환장하여 온갖 반사회적인 불법비리를 저지르는 범죄집단 삼성족벌 이씨일가의 행태에 맞서 싸우는 우리의 투쟁은 정의로운 것이다.

이제 삼성반도체 백혈병이 산업재해냐 아니냐는 문제를 떠났다.

죽어가는 인간의 생명을 가지고 삼성반도체 현장과 백혈병 사이의 과학적이고 의학적인 연관을 운운하면서 노동자들의 목숨을 농락하는 삼성재벌의 장단에 춤을 추는 소위 전문가 집단인 산업안전보건공단과 근로복지공단등을 상대로 백혈병의 산업재해 인정을 구걸하는 것과 이들에게 인간적인 배려와 양심을 기대하는 것은 썩은 고목나무에 새싹이 피는 것을 기다리는 것 만큼 어리석은 짓이다.

이제는 백혈병이 개인의 고통이고 죽음이 아니라 이 사회의 존립과 양심의 문제라는 사실이다.

# 촛불집회와 1인시위에 함께하길 바랍니다.

*촛불집회는 10/5 17시부터 19시까지 서초구 강남성모병원(강남터미널 뒤편)정문앞에서 매일합니다.

*1인시위는 강남역 4번출구 삼성본관 인도에서 하고 있습니다. 시간선택은 자유이고 많은 신청을 기다리고 있습니다.(연락처 : 김 성환

#박 지연씨의 건강을 기원하며 후원과 격려의 편지를 보내 주십시오.

주소 : 서울시 서초구 반포동 505 강남성모병원 19층 205호

후원계좌 : 국민은행 406201-01-041294 예금주 김 성환(삼성일반노조 위원장)

전자우편 : sinojo21@hanmail.net


* 관련 블로그
http://nobasestorieskorea.blogspot.com/2009/08/text-fwd-amazing-day-in-korea.html
Saturday, August 15, 2009
[국문 번역][Text Fwd] AMAZING DAY IN KOREA
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