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8 June, 1999Marcello Malentacchi has written to the Korean President with two urgent requests.
KOREA, REP: The IMF-affiliated Korean Metal Workers' Federation has informed the IMF that since the General Strike in May, which was prepared in strict compliance with Korean labour law, and led by the KMWF, additional arrest warrants have been issued against 6 leaders of the KMWF, namely the President - Mun Sung-hyun; four Vice-Presidents - Lee Hong-woo, Baek Sun-hwan, Lee Suk-hyeng and Oh Jong-soe, as well as the union's General Secretary - Jun Jae-hwan. The KMWF Central Office Organizing Department Director, Han Suk-ho, is currently in prison, having been arrested while leading the rolling strike on May 13. In addition, 34 KMWF unionists have had arrest warrants issued against them.
On June 8, Marcello Malentacchi, IMF General Secretary, wrote to both the South Korean President Kim Dae-jung and the Minister of Justice urgently appealing to them to use their authority to see to it that the arrest warrants issued against the KMWF leadership and other members are withdrawn and that Han Suk-ho and the many imprisoned trade unionists are released. The General Secretary also wrote in his letter to the Korean President that "I would ask you not only to withdraw the arrest warrant against the President of the KMWF, Mun, Sung-hyun, but, in doing so, allow him to attend the IMF's annual Central Committee meeting, taking place on June 23-24, in Helsinki, Finland.
It would be much appreciated if IMF affiliates would write protest letters concerning the arrest warrants, etc., to Kim Dae-jung, President of the Republic of Korea, Fax: (82/2) 770-0253, and to the Korean Embassy in each affiliate's country.
On June 8, Marcello Malentacchi, IMF General Secretary, wrote to both the South Korean President Kim Dae-jung and the Minister of Justice urgently appealing to them to use their authority to see to it that the arrest warrants issued against the KMWF leadership and other members are withdrawn and that Han Suk-ho and the many imprisoned trade unionists are released. The General Secretary also wrote in his letter to the Korean President that "I would ask you not only to withdraw the arrest warrant against the President of the KMWF, Mun, Sung-hyun, but, in doing so, allow him to attend the IMF's annual Central Committee meeting, taking place on June 23-24, in Helsinki, Finland.
It would be much appreciated if IMF affiliates would write protest letters concerning the arrest warrants, etc., to Kim Dae-jung, President of the Republic of Korea, Fax: (82/2) 770-0253, and to the Korean Embassy in each affiliate's country.