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13 November 1970: Jeon Tae-il suicide
Published 2 days, 2 hours ago
Description
On this day, 13 November 1970, South Korean garment worker Jeon Tae-il (content note: suicide), after trying to organise for better conditions, poured kerosene on his body and set himself on fire in front of Seoul’s Peace Market.
Jeon and other garment workers, mostly women and girls aged 14-24, worked up to 16 hours a day, with very low pay, and only one or two days off work per month. He was motivated by his Christianity, and although he was very poor, he often spent his bus fare on food for his colleagues who worked through their lunch breaks, hungry, and instead walked his three-hour journey back home on foot. Sometimes on the way he would be caught by military curfews, and have to spend the night sleeping at a police station.
But he came to realise that individual acts of generosity like this weren’t enough. Seeing the extreme suffering of those he worked with, he made a resolution to himself:
“In this horrible world where human beings are stripped of all that is human, I will never compromise with any iniquity. I will not remain silent before any injustice, but pay heed and work to rectify it.”
Jeon learned about workers' rights laws which weren't being implemented, and he formed the first union in the market, fighting for an eight hour day, and days off. He persisted in his activism despite being fired multiple times. He attempted to start a cooperative garment factory, but was unable to raise the money to get it off the ground.
Eventually, with his efforts not resulting in concrete changes, he resolved to die by ritual suicide, which was the first protest suicide in the workers' movement in the country.
After his death, his mother Lee So-sun dedicated her life to continuing his work, organising amongst mostly-women garment workers under the brutal, US-backed military dictatorship. It also spurred organising across the industry over the coming decade, and ultimately contributed to a wave of strikes in the late 70s.
Learn more about both Jeon Tae-il and Lee So-sun in our podcast episode 51: https://workingclasshistory.com/podcast/e51-jeon-tae-il-and-lee-so-sun/
Our work is only possible because of support from you, our listeners on patreon. If you appreciate our work, please join us and access exclusive content and benefits at patreon.com/workingclasshistory.
Jeon and other garment workers, mostly women and girls aged 14-24, worked up to 16 hours a day, with very low pay, and only one or two days off work per month. He was motivated by his Christianity, and although he was very poor, he often spent his bus fare on food for his colleagues who worked through their lunch breaks, hungry, and instead walked his three-hour journey back home on foot. Sometimes on the way he would be caught by military curfews, and have to spend the night sleeping at a police station.
But he came to realise that individual acts of generosity like this weren’t enough. Seeing the extreme suffering of those he worked with, he made a resolution to himself:
“In this horrible world where human beings are stripped of all that is human, I will never compromise with any iniquity. I will not remain silent before any injustice, but pay heed and work to rectify it.”
Jeon learned about workers' rights laws which weren't being implemented, and he formed the first union in the market, fighting for an eight hour day, and days off. He persisted in his activism despite being fired multiple times. He attempted to start a cooperative garment factory, but was unable to raise the money to get it off the ground.
Eventually, with his efforts not resulting in concrete changes, he resolved to die by ritual suicide, which was the first protest suicide in the workers' movement in the country.
After his death, his mother Lee So-sun dedicated her life to continuing his work, organising amongst mostly-women garment workers under the brutal, US-backed military dictatorship. It also spurred organising across the industry over the coming decade, and ultimately contributed to a wave of strikes in the late 70s.
Learn more about both Jeon Tae-il and Lee So-sun in our podcast episode 51: https://workingclasshistory.com/podcast/e51-jeon-tae-il-and-lee-so-sun/
Our work is only possible because of support from you, our listeners on patreon. If you appreciate our work, please join us and access exclusive content and benefits at patreon.com/workingclasshistory.
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