Two workers from South Korea’s Hydis Technologies were arrested yesterday after a demonstration outside the Presidential Office Building in Taipei to protest against their Taiwanese employers.
For the past 10 days, nearly a dozen South Korean union representatives have camped outside the personal residence of Yuen Foong Yu (YFY) Group chairperson Ho Shou-chuan (何壽川).
On the front steps of Ho’s residence, the workers set up a memorial shrine to former Hydis union leader Bae Jae-hyoung, who committed suicide last month after reportedly receiving legal threats from Hydis management.
Photo: CNA
Dressed in a black robe, Bae’s widow, Lee Mi-ra, carried a portrait of her husband as she marched toward the Presidential Office Building during yesterday’s demonstration.
She was accompanied by dozens of Taiwanese labor activists and students, who came to express their support.
Hydis was acquired in 2008 by Taiwanese e-paper manufacturer E-Ink Holdings, a member of the YFY Group.
Despite a series of protests in Taipei earlier this year, E-Ink stood by its decision to cease production in South Korea and dismissed more than 300 employees as planned in April.
During the demonstration, the workers demanded that President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) administration facilitate talks between the union and YFY Group, saying that the company has repeatedly refused to engage in talks with them in Taiwan.
They also demanded that Ma dismiss Ho from his position among the president’s panel of national policy advisers and called for talks on a free-trade agreement between Taiwan and South Korea to be halted before the issue is resolved.
“Do workers still enjoy any dignity at all? After so much time and effort, we have not received any kind of response,” a senior Hydis employee, surnamed Kim, said through an interpreter.
“Under such circumstances, we no longer know whether it is meaningful to live on like this,” Kim said.
Lee Mi-ra and the other union representatives were denied entry to the Presidential Office Building, which refused to accept their petition.
Violent scuffles broke out, resulting in the arrest of two South Koreans and one Taiwanese labor activist.
Two other Taiwanese were arrested outside Ho’s residence when police officers moved in to remove tents erected by labor activists.
Another South Korean activist was placed under medical care after receiving injuries during conflict with police officers.
The workers have vowed to continue their protests outside Ho’s residence until talks with YFY Group take place.
“We will not leave Taiwan until we have a meeting with Yuen Foong Yu,” Korean Confederation of Trade Unions regional branch leader Lee Sang-aun said.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck off Tainan at 11:47am today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The hypocenter was 32.3km northeast of Tainan City Hall at a depth of 7.3km, CWA data showed. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Tainan and Chiayi County on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. The quake had an intensity of 3 in Chiayi City and County, and Yunlin County, while it was measured as 2 in Kaohsiung, Nantou County, Changhua County, Taitung County and offshore Penghu County, the data showed. There were no immediate reports of
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated
RSS