Samsung Electronics union launches general strike. [Photo=Yonhap News] 

In North Korea, labor unions in capitalist countries are described as organizations for the rights and interests of workers, but are taught to be "labor aristocrats" who threaten companies with indiscriminate strikes and receive the highest privileges.

While attending a lecture at university, I questioned why a nation and its laws would permit such actions, even in a liberal democracy. The professor explained that this was proof of the failure of capitalism, which allows for complete freedom. 

That explanation did not fully resolve my doubts. However, I am now witnessing the tyranny of these unions with my own eyes. The reality is far more dire than what I heard in North Korea. 

Are Labor Unions Anti-State Organizations Aimed at Destroying the Nation?

Of course, labor unions exist in other countries as well. However, South Korean labor unions have gone beyond being "labor aristocrats" and have degenerated into anti-state organizations aiming to dismantle the nation of South Korea.

I repeat, South Korean labor unions seem to be formidable organizations that, beyond pursuing their own wealth and prosperity, collude with North Korean communist forces and threaten the very existence of South Korea.

Frankly, what guarantees South Korea's high international standing and authority is not its corrupt politics, its weak laws, its left-leaning education, or its ineffectual military. It is solely thanks to its advanced economy. 

If you remove South Korea's advanced economy, there is nothing else to see. It is a country with the highest number of spies and traitors in the world. It has the highest national suicide rate in the world. It is a country whose invasion by North Korea and China is deterred by the U.S. military. There are no natural resources underground. The people lack patriotism. Its politics are conducted by criminals and traitors. Excluding its economic power, South Korea is a nation where its 50 million citizens are merely talkative.

Let those who wish to curse me for my harsh assessment do so to their hearts' content. Honestly, what is there to see in this country besides its economy? Do you think "K-pop" or "BTS," with their empty chatter, will provide jobs for the people or defend the nation? If you remove the economy, can good welfare and healthcare be guaranteed? It is impossible. 

In South Korea, the economy is the strong pillar that supports the nation, the shield that protects its people, and the future for generations to come.

Labor Unions Are More Terrifying Than North Korea's 1.2 Million Troops

Yet, labor unions are destroying the economy, the nation's pillar. Starting with the 77-day labor union strike at SsangYong Motor in Pyeongtaek in 2009, which led to its sale, many companies, including Hyundai Motor and Hyundai Steel, have since closed down, moved overseas, or entered receivership. As a result, unemployment has increased, and cities are turning into ruins. Now, they are attempting to bring down Samsung, a company representing Korea.

Everyone knows about the tyranny of labor unions, including the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU). Look at the recent incident during the cargo transport union strike where a striking union member, in a fit of rage, was run over by a vehicle and died, while an innocent driver was arrested as a murderer. 

There is no place in South Korea without labor unions. However, the bigger problem is that these unions have explicitly fallen into the category of political unions, making the same noises and taking the same actions as North Korea.

The Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union (KTU) educates young students to be pro-North Korean elements, and unions chant opposition to war drills and the withdrawal of U.S. forces during strikes, and now they are protesting the dispatch of troops to the Iran war.

Despite all this, politicians in this country are only concerned with their own survival and are passing laws in the National Assembly such as the "Law Prohibiting Insults to President Lee Jae-myung's Eldest Son." 

In South Korean courts, any illegal actions by labor unions are overlooked. The police, who are state power, suppress peaceful protests by conservative right-wingers, but turn a blind eye to the violence of labor unions wielding spears and iron pipes. This is South Korea, a shameful nation in the 21st century where police officers lose eyes and lives to the spears wielded by union members.

Thus, a large cancerous tumor called labor unions, more numerous and more terrifying than North Korea's 1.2 million troops, is growing on South Korean soil.

Yet, Lee Jae-myung suggests the withdrawal of U.S. forces, saying, "South Korea ranks 5th in defense capabilities, so it should not rely on foreign troops." He also explicitly advocates for the communization of companies, stating, "If factories close due to the disruptions caused by labor unions, workers should take over and operate the factories."

Despite all this, not a single one of the 50 million people is spitting blood. This is already a completely ruined South Korea. 

◆ Advisor Kim Tae-san

Advisor, Hanmi Daily; former representative of a North Korean trading company in the Czech Republic. In South Korea, he has worked as the Vice Director of the North Korean Society Research Institute, offering profound insights and experience on inter-Korean relations and North Korean issues.