KCTU announces its conditional withdrawal of support for the UPP

The country’s largest left-wing umbrella union announced its conditional withdrawal of support for the Unified Progressive Party to pressure the minority opposition party’s internal reforms.

The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, the coalition of labor unions with 800,000 members, held a Central Steering Committee meeting for 10 hours last night and discussed what it would to do about its tie with the UPP. The schism in the UPP has widened day by day as the pro-North Korea faction rejected an emergency leadership created last week in the aftermath of a rigged primary and threatened to form its own leadership council.

“We approved the conditional withdrawal of our support for the UPP,” the confederation announced early this morning. The confederation said its support would be taken away until the UPP restores its focus to serve workers and reform measures approved at the party’s Central Steering Committee are implemented to satisfy the members and public expectations.

The confederation’s 45,000 members belong to the UPP. If it decides to completely severe its tie with the UPP, the opposition party will suffer a huge loss.
“We strongly urge the UPP to unite the members with the emergency leadership at the center and overcome this chaos as soon as possible,” the confederation said. “This is the stern order of the 800,000 KCTU members.”

By Ser Myo-ja myoja@joongang.co.kr