[Translation] Workers Celebrated May Day but Expressed the Fury on the Dissipated Unification Effort

▲김영훈 전국민주노동조합총연맹 위원장.
[사진-통일뉴스 조성봉 기자]
▲ Kim Young-Hoon, Chairman of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions
(Photo by Cho Sung-Bong, Tong-Il News)

▲ 120주년 세계노동절 기념행사가 1일 오후 3시 서울 여의도 공원에서 민주노총 조합원 1만 5천여명이 모인 가운데 개최됐다.[사진-통일뉴스 조성봉 기자]
The 120th anniversary of the international May day event was held at 3pm on May 1, in the Yoido Park, Seoul, while about 15,000 union members of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions have gathered in the Yoido Park, Seoul, at 3pm on May 1 (photo by Cho Sung-Bong, Tongil News)

For More Photos on the May Day rally, click HERE

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* Below is the arbitrary translation of the linked article.

Tongil News

"남북 노동자대회 무산 책임은 현 정부"
: 김영훈 민주노총 위원장, '5.1노동절 대회'서 입장 밝혀
“The Current ROK Government Should Be responsible for the Dissipation of the SK-NK Workers’ rally”
: Kim Young-Hoon, Chairman of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions Announced his Position in the ‘May 1 Workers’ Rally.’

2010년 5월 1일, 토

May 1, 2010, Saturday

고성진 kolong81 (at) tongilnews.com
Koh Sung-Jin kolong81 (at) tongilnews.com

김영훈 전국민주노동조합총연맹(민주노총) 위원장은 1일 "5.1절 남북노동자통일대회가 무산된 것에 대한 책임은 전적으로 현 정부에 있다"고 말했다.

Kim Young-Hoon, Chairman of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions told on May 1, “All the responsibility belongs to the current government that the May 1 NK-SK Workers’ Unification Rally was dissipated.”

위원장은 이날 오후, 서울 여의도에서 열린 '120주년 세계노동절 범국민대회'에서 기자와 만나 이같이 말하면서 "한쪽으로는 남북 정상회담 개최 등을 흘리면서 다른 한 쪽으로 남북 노동자들의 만남을 가로막는 이 한 장면을 보더라도 이명박 정권의 이율배반적인 모습을 보여주고 있다"고 밝혔다.

The Chairman saying to the reporter, like that in the ‘Pan-Korean rally on the 120th Anniversary of the International Labor Day,’ in Yoido, Seoul, in the afternoon of the day, announced that, “Looking at this one scene that, While [the Lee Myung Bak government] leaks [the possibility of] the SK-NK summit meeting on one hand, it blocks the meeting between the SK-NK workers on the other hand, it tells the antinomy of the Lee Myung Bak government.”

그는 "엄혹한 정세 속에서도 남북 노동자들이 상호 교류로 남북관계를 원활하게 하기 위해 노동자대회를 열기로 하고, 북측 조선직총(조선직업총동맹) 역시 (서울로 오겠다는 등) 과감한 결정을 내렸는데, 특별한 사유 없이 대회를 불허함으로써 매우 큰 분노를 느끼고 있다"며 남북 노동자대회가 무산된 것에 대해 안타까움을 나타냈다.

He saying that, “Even though, despite the severe political situation, we, the South Korean workers have decided to open the workers’ rally, to easy the NK-SK relationship with the co-exchange between the NK-SK workers, and the Chosun Pan-Alliance of the Jobs , North Korea has decided the courageous decision as well, [the Lee Myung Bak government] disallowed the rally without the specific reason, therefore we are very infuriated by it,” expressed his sorry feeling upon the dissipation of the SL-NK Workers’ rally.

남북 노동자들은 오는 30일부터 5월 2일까지 서울에서 '6.15공동선언 이행을 위한 5.1절 120돌 기념 남북노동자통일대회'를 개최키로 하고, 80~100명 규모의 북측 대표단이 서해 직항로를 통해 참가할 것을 지난 4월 초 개성 실무접촉을 통해 합의한 바 있다. 그러나 정부가 일관되게 대회 자체에 대해 부정적인 태도를 보이면서 대회 자체가 무산됐다.

The SK & NK workers, planning to have the ‘SK-NK Workers’ Unification Rally on the 120th May Day anniversary, for the Practice of the June. 15 Statement,’ in Seoul from April 3o to May 2, and have agreed each other upon that the NK delegates of about 80~100 would participate in it through the direct line in the west sea, during the practical business meeting held in Kaesong early last April. However as the government has consistently showed the negative attitude on it, the rally itself has become dissipated.

[중략] […]

한편, 북측 조선직총 중앙위원회는 지난 29일 성명을 통해 "괴뢰패당이 5. 1절 북남노동자통일행사를 가로막은것은 민족의 화해와 단합, 통일을 바라는 노동자들과 온 겨레의 한결같은 지향과 염원에 대한 악랄한 도전이며 6.15공동선언을 뒤집어엎는 또 하나의 반민족적, 반통일적도발"이라고 입장을 밝혔다.

Otherwise, the Central Committee of the North Korean Pan-Alliance of the Jobs announced through its statement on last 29th, “The fact that the puppet gang has blocked the May Day event of the NK-SK Workers’ Unification Rally is the vicious challenge against the consistent aim and wishes of all the workers and people who wish for the reconciliation, cooperation, and unification of the nation and another anti-national, anti-unification provocation that overturns the June 15 statement.”

이날 '120주년 세계노동절 기념 범국민대회 조직위원회'가 주최한 대회에는 민주노총을 비롯한 반MB공투본과 2010유권자희망연대 참가단체 등 1만 5천여 명이 참가했다. 주최측은 "서울을 비롯해 전국 16개 광역시.도에서 동시다발로 5.1절 대회가 열렸으며, 10만 명이 참가했다"고 밝혔다.

On the day, in the rally sponsored by the ‘Organizing committee for the Pan-Korean rally upon the 120th Anniversary of International May Day, ’ about 15,000 joined it, including the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, Headquarter of the Joint Committee for the Struggle against the Lee Myung-Bak government, and the participatory organizations in the Voters’ Hope 2010. The host committee [of the rally] announced that, “Including Seoul, the May day rally opened all at once in the 16 cities and provinces nationwide, and about 100,000joined it.”