Public Services International Internationale des Services Publics Internacional de Servicios Pblicos Internationale der ffentlichen Dienste Internationalen

fr Stats- och Kommunalanstllda

President: Dave Prentis General Secretary: Peter Waldorff

45, avenue Voltaire, BP 9 01211 Ferney-Voltaire Cedex FRANCE +33 4 50 40 64 64 +33 4 50 40 73 20 (Fax) www.world-psi.org psi@world-psi.org

Mr Lee Myung-Bak President of the Republic of South Korea Cheongwadae: 1 Cheongwadae-ro Jongno-gu Seoul, 110 820 Korea E-mail: foreign@president.go.kr Fax:+82.2.2110.3079, +82.2.770.4735, +82.2.770.1690

File references: PW/CK/CHM Contact: Chidi KING Tel: +33.450.40.11.70 1st August, 2011

Dear Mr President,

Letter of Protest
I write to you once again in the name of Public Services International (PSI), which represents 20 million women and men working in public services, through our 650 affiliated unions in 148 countries and territories, including South Korea. We are extremely concerned to learn that the government of South Korea has prosecuted 270 public officials, members of PSI affiliate the KGEU (Korean Government Employees Union), for allegedly breaching punitive measures contained in the political Fund Act, the Political Party Act, the State Public Officials Act and Local Public Officials Act. A further 32 non-union members have been prosecuted and hundreds more are facing indictments. The measures in question in these Acts purport to restrict public officials from exercising their rights to freedom of opinion and expression by making it unlawful for them to public express any views critical of the government or to have affiliation to or make donations to opposition political parties. These laws and the Korean Governments actions contravene the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights as well as international labour standards. These same measures have been criticised by the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the Right to Freedom of Opinion and Expression, Mr Frank La Rue, who has urged the Korean government to ensure the rights of freedom of expression of public officials. PSI believes that these prosecutions are the continuation of a long record of harassment and denial of basic trade union rights by the South Korean government against the KGEU, and reflect

the governments intention to silence any critical voices voices which are essential to the proper functioning of any health democracy. PSI and the KGEU acknowledge and respect the duty on public officials to observe political neutrality. We maintain, however, that such neutrality does not require that public officials be forced to surrender all of their civil and political rights guaranteed under international and national laws, which include the right to freedom of association, opinion and freedom of expression. According to our information the government of South Korea has used the above mentioned law as justification for carrying out police raids on KGEU headquarters, subpoenaing KGEU members for making donations political parties, and eventually for prosecuting large number of public officials belonging to the KGEU. PSI was also concerned to learn that one of its employees was recently refused a visa to enter South Korea in order to attend a workshop on trade union rights being organised with our affiliates and the International Labour Organisation (ILO). This refusal has been brought to the attention of the ILO. The South Korean Government must acknowledge that such actions do not comply with its obligations as a member of the International Labour Organisation, the OECD and the G20. The South Korean Government must amend its legislation to guarantee the civil and political rights of all public employees, in conformity with international legislation and guarantee that all Korean public employees are allowed to exercise their workers and union rights, as well as their fundamental rights as citizens. Yours sincerely,

Peter WALDORFF General Secretary

Cc.: PSI Regional Office for Asia-Pacific Public Services International (PSI) is a global trade union federation that represents 20 million women and men working in the public services around the world. It has more than 600 affiliated unions in 160 countries and territories. PSI is an autonomous body, which works in association with federations covering other sectors of the workforce and with the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC). PSI is an officially recognised non-governmental organisation for the public sector within the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and has consultative status with ECOSOC and observer status with other UN bodies such as UNCTAD and WTO.