LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Kim Dae Jung
built 185 days ago
THE POLITICS bF KIM DAE JUNG The return of Kim Dae Jung to South Korea is a major political event. while he has spent the last decade either in exile or under arrest, his influence is potentially strong,' especially in his home province of Cholla. He now wants to "open a dialogue with Chun" on the issues of democratization. In an interview with The Heritage Foundation, Kim said he will encourage his supporters to be "moderate" and "nonviolent. 114
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The election of Kim Dae Jung as President of South Korea is as astonishing, in its own way, as that of Nelson Mandela in South Africa. Each was labeled a dangerous subversive by his country's ruling establishment; each was jailed for years and faced death for his beliefs, and each survived to become his nation's leader.
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. In particular, Kim Dae Jung's new policy of trying to co-opt the KCTU has had its effect. The unions that formed the KCTU federation arose in the late 1980s in the midst of the militant workers' upsurge of that period. These unions were independent of the government, which backed the reactionary FKTU federation, and they waged a number of battles against the employers and in defiance of government repression. The workers desire for independent unions led to the KCTU's ranks swelling to 500,000 members despite its illegal nature... representing a serious challenge to the 1.2 million member FKTU. But Kim Dae Jung has offered more legal rights to the KCTU in return for the KCTU keeping the lid on the workers as they are hammered by layoffs and austerity. The KCTU leadership has been unable to resist the offer, and the result has been that KCTU leaders are calling on workers to "share the pain" of the crisis and have scuttled plans for a general strike several times in recent months.
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As the inauguration ceremony underscored, Kim Dae Jung, in carrying out this agenda, will work with the most reactionary sections of the ruling elite and state apparatus. The occasion was marked by the spectacle of the new president shaking hands with two former military-backed presidents—Chun Doo Hwan and his protege Roh Tae Woo. One of Kim's first acts as president-elect had been to effect the release of the two from jail, where they were serving lengthy sentences for mutiny, treason and corruption.
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For the first time in his presidency, Kim Dae Jung has stood up to George Bush's bullying. Until now, he swallowed his pride and obeyed Bush like a loyal dog. But Kim has realized that Bush has been leading him to the brink of war in Korea and was forced to marshal all of his courage to say 'No' to Uncle Bush. His courageous defiance opens the door for a North-South mutual defense against US military adventurism. It is up to the Korean people to prevent war in Korea - because no foreign power cares what happens to Korea.
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Immediately following Kim Dae Jung's inauguration, bitter parliamentary protests erupted over his intention to appoint Kim Jong Pil as prime minister. The conservative Grand National Party (GNP) claimed Kim Jong Pil was "ill-equipped" in economic matters. Its position reflects the concerns of some of the chaebol that government plans to de-regulate the economy will send more vulnerable corporations to the wall.
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Kim Dae Jung