On October 26, the People’s Democracy Party (PDP) issued a resolution, with the signatures of the participants, condemning the Yoon Suk-yeol government’s fascist crackdown, with the slogan “Free Kim Byeong-dong! Down with Yoon Suk-yeol!” at the 7th International Anti-imperialist Conference in Dakar, Senegal.
On May 31, Kim Byeong-dong, chairperson of the Gyeong-gi branch of the PDP, was detained in court on charges of forming an organization that benefits the enemy under the National Security Act for the “Korea Solidarity Case,” which was fabricated during the Park Geun-hye fascist regime 10 years ago. In the first trial, the Seoul Central District Court sentenced him to two years in prison and three years of disqualification. At the second trial on August 29, the court partially accepted the logic of the appellate brief and sentenced him to one year and six months in prison, which was reduced by six months, and three years of disqualification.
Meanwhile, on August 30, the day after chairperson Kim Byeong-dong’s second trial, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Department’s Security Investigation Division conducted a search and seizure on the PDP’s party office and party members’ houses on suspicion of violating the National Security Act. Since the investigation began, the police have been over-issuing subpoenas to threaten emergency arrests, even though the party members have exercised their right to refuse to testify through their lawyers as a legitimate exercise of their rights. The party members have not been deterred and are continuing their struggle by holding rallies and demonstrations in front of the National Police Agency, Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, and the former Okin-dong Anti-communist Investigation Office to condemn the Yoon administration’s fascist repression.
PDP representative Lee Sang-hoon was on the stage with the slogans “Free Kim Byung-dong! Down with Yun Seok-yeol!” in English.
“The vicious public security crackdown on the PDP, the only working-class revolutionary and legal party in the Republic of Korea (ROK), demonstrates the true face of extreme fascist crackdown of Yoon Suk-yeol government,” the PDP said, adding that “the raids also included the houses of the Democratic Party, the former president’s family. Yoon’s simultaneous crackdown on the Democratic Party on the far right, aside from the extreme right-wing fascist party of Yoon Suk-yeol, and the PDP on the far left, is no different in nature from Hitler’s crackdown on the Communist Party and the Socialist Party, one after the other,”> it pointed out.
“Article 7 of the National Security Act (Praise and Worship), which was used to crack down on the PDP, is notorious for its violation of constitutionally guaranteed freedom of thought and expression. The Security Investigation Bureau, which raided the PDP, is part of the National Police Agency’s Counterintelligence Division and is a successor to the the Security Investigation Branch, which is notorious for its violent and torturous investigations. Meanwhile, Yoon Suk-yeol, a former prosecutor, has been furiously cracking down on progressive and reformist forces using political prosecutors at the head.” it explained.
It continued, “The public security crackdown on the PDP is a decisive sign of and a palace coup,” and said, “At a time when World War 3 is unfolding and the war in East Asia, Western Pacific, is imminent, Yoon Suk-yeol’s attempt, who is abandonned by people, to deflect the crisis with war and martial law is a vicious and clichéd tactic that has been seen in pro-US fascists in Eastern Europe and Western Asia (Middle East),” and that “it is just and inevitable for the awakened and united people in ROK to join the anti-Yoon Suk-yeol popular uprising and overthrow Yoon Suk-yeol.
Kim Byeong-dong is currently being held in Daejeon Prison, where he is steadfastly continuing his struggle from behind bars. Members of the PDP have been struggling with the slogans “Free Kim Byeong-dong! Overthrow Yoon Suk-yeol!’ and ‘Overthrow Yoon Suk-yeol, plotting wartime martial law and suppressing political parties!’ in the vigil in front of the US Embassy for 2066 days, as of October 14, as well as weekly anti-fascist rallies. They also hold monthly political party speeches in front of Daejeon Prison, calling for the overthrow of Yoon Suk-yeol and the abolition of the National Security Act.
The following is the full text of the resolution
Condemn a fascist Yoon Suk-yeol, repressing legitimate parties and democratic organizations!
Yoon Suk-yeol’s fascist power of “ROK (Republic of Korea)” is going on a frenzied crackdown. On August 30th, the fascist authorities carried out a search and seizure of bodies, residences, and offices of the former president and party members of the People’s Democracy Party (PDP). During the search, the police conducted illegal, violent, inhumane investigations, including the detention of party members not listed on the warrant, property damage, and verbal abuse. Although the former president and party members conveyed their intention to remain silent through their lawyer, the police are forcibly and repeatedly demanding their attendance, threatening arrest, and pressuring them to abandon their right to remain silent. To repress a legal party, the PDP, Yoon Suk-yeol administration is slandering the party as being an “organization that benefits the enemy”, by applying an unconstitutional law, the National Security Law. The vicious repression of the PDP, the only revolutionary party of the working class in the “ROK” and a legal party, explicitly demonstrates the reality of the extreme fascist crackdown of the Yoon Suk-yeol administration.
Fascist repression is being brazenly carried out on all fronts. Yoon Suk-yeol administration, around the same time as its repression of the PDP, enforced a search and seizure of the anti-Japanese and patriotic organization, Anti-Japanese Action, on charges of “acting in concert with the enemy”. Additionally, they executed a search and seizure at the houses of the Democratic Party members and the family of the former president. Yoon Suk-yeol’s concurrent repression of the Democratic Party, which is the furthest right except for the far-right fascist party, as well as the PDP, which is the furthest left, is essentially no different from Hitler’s repression of both communist and social democratic parties in turn. Meanwhile, the fascist police have been manipulating violence and conflict and forcibly arrested university students, who waged the anti-Yoon struggle. National Security Prosecutors sentenced 20 years to the labor movement activist. Moreover, the police began fascist suppression of the struggling common people by conducting a search of the server of a democratic organization, Candlelight Action, which has led the mass demonstrations against Yoon Suk-yeol.
Yoon Suk-yeol administration is madly wielding the fascist law and repressive institutions in both hands. The National Security Act has been a notorious fascist evil law, brutally abused to repress both workers and the people who have struggled against US imperialism and for independence and democracy since it was enacted by the pro-US proxy regime in November 1948. Article 7 (Praise, Incitement), which applies to the repression of PDP, is infamous for violating the freedom of thought and expression guaranteed by the Constitution. Since 2004, the National Human Rights Commission has determined that the National Security Act has serious issues in terms of International Law, the Constitution, and human rights, and since 1992, the United Nations Human Rights Council has also urged its abolition several times. The Security Investigation Division, which carried out a search and seizure of PDP, is a part of “counterintelligence” department of the National Police Agency, and is the successor of the National Security Division ill-famed for violent and torture-based investigations. Yoon Suk-yeol, a former prosecutor, is frantically repressing both progressive and reformist forces, by putting forward political prosecutors as his stooges.
Political repression of the PDP is a decisive sign of “wartime martial law” and “self coup”. Yoon Suk-yeol has been provoking the local war with aggressive actions against DPRK, while he appointed fascists of his private faction, “Chungam”, to key military and political positions related to the enforcement of martial law. It has recently been revealed that military commanders, who would play key roles in the event of martial law, secretly had a meeting. Under the current situation where World War 3 is being developed and the East Asian War and the Western Pacific War are imminent, Yoon Suk-yeol, abandoned by the people, is trying to evade his crisis by provoking a war and implementing martial law. This is a malicious and typical tactic that is also confirmed by the pro-US fascists in Eastern Europe and West Asia (Middle East). The miserable ends of past fascists in “ROK”, who were shot down, impeached, and imprisoned, illustrate what the fascist Yoon Suk-yeol’s fate may be. The awakened and united people of “ROK” rising up together with their full energy in the people’s uprising against Yoon Suk-yeol, and overthrowing him is both just and inevitable.
October 26th, 2024, Dakar in the Republic of Senegal
People’s Democracy Party (PDP)
