Brief History of May Day in Korea

The First May Day in 1923

 In 1923, the first May Day celebration was organized by an independent workers organization Chosun Confederation of Labor, under the Japanese imperialist rule. Two thousand workers held a May Day celebration rally, demanding the reduction of working hours, wage increase, and prevention of unemployment. After this first celebration, Korean workers celebrated May Day for the struggle against the Japanese imperialism.

 Liberation, and May Day under the Flag of 'Chunpyung'

 In 1945, the defeat of Japanese Imperialism in the World War II liberated Koreans from Japanese colonialism. The National Council of Korean Trade Unions (Chunpyung, the acronym in Korean), formed in 1945, held a grand May Day rally in 1946, with two hundred thousand workers joined.

 May Day Deprived

 Under the US military rule from 1945 to 1948, the military regime suppressed the independent activities of Chunpyung, illegalizing it and dismissing and arresting thousands of unionists and leaders. Instead, the US military regime helped the extreme rightwing Korean Federation of Trade Unions(KFTU) to grow.

As a result, under the auspice of the imperialist military government and Korean rightwing forces, the KFTU organized the May Day rallies. In this context, the May Day was relegated to the day for KFTU leadership to pledge the loyalty to Presidnet Rhee Syngman's reactionary government.

Labor Day instead of May Day

 In 1957, after the Korean War, President Rhee Syngman ordered KFTU to make a "true Labor Day for the celebration of anticommunist workers, since the communist puppet regime makes use of May Day as a means of communist propaganda." In response, the KFTU leadership set March 10 as Labor Day. March 10 was the date when the KFTU was formed.

This means the deprivation of militant tradition of Korean workers, and also signals the coming of Dark Age for the Korean workers movement. Thereafter, May 1st was forcefully forgotten from the Korean workers.

Long Days of Military Dictatorship

 The April Revolution in 1960, which toppled the Rhee Syngman anticommunist dictatorship, and subsequent short period of democracy, was followed by the military coup d'etat by General Park Chunghee. Under Park's regime, workers were the targets of ideological offense and brainwash, as well as physical oppression. Every year, the Labor Day of March 10 was celebrated as a holiday, when workers had events with employers and government officials who praised workers for their hardworking.

MAY DAY restored by workers struggle

Workers Great Struggle in 1987 and May Day

 In 1987 summer following June Uprising for democratization, Korean workers all over the country rose up, protesting extremely low wages, long working hours, and inhumane working condition. In this struggle, they built more than 1,000 new unions of all regions and trades, inspired the working class consciousness of unity and solidarity.

In 1989, a national coalition for revision of labor laws and wage increase formed, and it declared the Labor Day of March 10 as Dishonor Day of Labor, appealing to restore the tradition of May Day. In April 30, despite the police blockade, more than 5,000 workers gathered at the campus of Yonsei University, and held the first May Day Rally sin Korean War.

May Day and Korean Workers Struggle

 Since 1989, Korean workers held May Day rallies every year as International Workers Day, celebrating the spirit of May Day and resolving the workers struggle for independence, democracy and solidarity. In the early 90s, workers and trade unions organized massive rallies, demonstrations and marches to show workers unity. And finally, in 1994, the government changed Labor Day from March 10 to May 1st, which was a great victory for Korean workers struggle.

For all the Korean, the hard-won May Day has a particular meaning. In addition to its historical significance, May Day struggle every year plays a part of unifying workers struggle of all the trades and sectors, for the spring is the struggle season for collective bargaining for wages and working conditions. So it is a particular momentum to extend the individual struggles into nationwide working class struggle.

[History of May Day]